Two Faced
by Alice Pink
Summary: Chat Noir is as persistent as ever as he always questions Ladybug. But as Ladybug continues with her secrecy, their partnership starts fading. Fighting has begun between the duo and the two question their trust towards each other. With the recent, unusual akuma attack, Ladybug must decide whose side she's on and what she must decide for the future. Will she betray Chat Noir?
1. Chapter 1: Two Days Before

"Hello and good morning, Paris. This is Nadja Chamack with you morning news." The reporter stated. "They've been the buzz for some time now and all of Paris adores them, but is Ladybug and Chat Noir's partnership fading? Recent footage from the past few weeks has shown the heroes arguing and their missions have taken longer to complete." Nadja pointed at a TV that played a sequence of short videos." With all the questions that have come from this, the superheroes continue to refuse to do an interview or address the issue at hand." A fake image of Ladybug and Chat Noir popped up and split down the middle. Nadja looked back at the camera. "Are the protectors of this city giving up? Is their team disassembling? Who will keep Paris safe? More to come. I'm Nadja Chamack with your morning news." Nadja gave a wave and the screen changed to a commercial.

A young girl watched the news story on a store TV from outside. She watched the whole story and felt sad because of it. She aspired to be like Ladybug and looked up to the heroes of Paris, but with the two arguing and becoming negative news reports, it was upsetting.  
The girl turned around and saw a group of pigeons at her feet. She smiled and gave them a few pieces of her blueberry muffin. They happily gobbled up the small pieces and started pecking at her dandelion ring.

"Hey, guys." She covered her ring and tossed the last bits. "Don't eat that. It may be a plant instead of a real ring, but . . . it's all I got." The pigeons looked up to her for more, but she showed them her empty hands.

"Hope? What're you doing?! You can't feed the birds!" Her mother shouted, grabbing her hand. "That muffin was for you not them."

"But they're hungry." Hope whined.

"And so are we." Her mother put her hands on her shoulders and looked at her. "You know we can't afford too much. I can barely afford our meals, let alone these birds included." The mother smiled at her daughter. "I admire your kindness and I'm glad you aren't depressive about our current situation, but . . . we'll have to leave them be. We can't afford to aid everyone."

"I just wanted to help them." The girl said quietly as her mother walked her away from the small flock.

* * *

"But Marinette!" Tikki whined as she followed her chosen.

"It's okay, Tikki. Me and Chat Noir will be just fine." She said, a little frustrated.

"But you just saw the news report." Tikki pointed to her computer. "News is spreading about the tension between you two."

"No one's going to believe that." Marinette waved it off. "News is biased and overdramatic anyway, so most people will just ignore it."

"But if Paris thinks your aren't going to be partners anymore, they're gonna lose faith in you guys and they'll publicize all of your mistakes more." Tikki worried. "And if you slip up too badly, everyone might hate you two and push you away to try and fix it themselves, causing them to hurt themselves."

"You worry too much, Tikki." Marinette stated, tucking her notebook in her backpack.

"Just talk to Chat Noir. Don't leave anything hanging." Tikki insisted. "It feels like you're hiding something. Something you won't admit to anyone, including me. Chat Noir should at least know."

Marinette stopped packing her bag and closed her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about, Tikki."

"You may not know all the details, but you definitely feel that something is off. And you're hiding it." Tikki said, flying in front of her. "I don't know your emotions and I don't know how you're feeling, but at least admit . . . that you don't know either."

Marinette opened her eyes but didn't look at her kwami. "Everything will be fine, Tikki." Marinette ignored her and slung her backpack on her shoulder before walking out.

Tikki sighed and zoomed into Marinette's purse just before she dropped the hatch.

Marinette quietly walked down the stairs of her house and left the building. Tikki still felt something off with her, but didn't say anything. Marinette crossed the street to the school where she instantly spotted Adrien. A cool breeze blew his blonde locks out of the way to reveal his flawless face. For some reason lately she's felt a stronger connection to him. They weren't talking more, hardly at all actually. But something just felt different. She didn't know if it was her sudden distance from Chat Noir or not, but she was more drawn to Adrien as a person.

She waved to him from afar, but he ignored it. Marinette shook it off and walked up the front steps of the school. Right when she was about to set foot on the last step, her foot suddenly slipped and Marinette fell. Marinette rammed her ankle into the edge of one step as her stuff scattered.

"Ow." She hissed, holding her ankle.

The school bell rang and Marinette sprung up off the steps, feeling a stinging pain. She sprinted to grab her purse and backpack along the lover steps before carefully making it to the top. Marinette ran into the school, ignoring her ankle since she didn't want to be late to class once again.

During class Adrien seemed a little down. He wasn't his usual happy self like he was when he's around his friends and he stayed like that all day without a word. Adrien seemed to be thinking about something, but he never said what it was and no one mentioned it.

* * *

 **Sorry for the short chapter, but this is like an intro to the story . . . kind of. At least the other chapters are longer. If you read this story before August 2018, then you read this before I updated it. I went back and tried to add some more details and words to this part. Nothing too big, but whether you wanna reread it or not, it doesn't matter.**

 **-Alice Pink**


	2. Chapter 2: Present Day

"Now, Helping Hands, fulfill your wishes of helping people." Hawkmoth said, thinking of the power. "But if you wish to continue, help me by bringing me Ladybug and Chat Noir's miraculous."

"Yes Hawkmoth." Helping Hands transformed and smiled as she looked down at the city below her.

Helping Hands had a dress with a variety of purple and black shades and rainbow hair that was swirled into a bun. She wore squared, black glasses and white gloves. Her eyes were a mesmerizing red. The entire look together made her look more mature for her young age of 12.

She flew around the city and found a little girl who was crying because her ice cream had fallen on the ground.

Helping Hands landed ten feet in front of the crying girl. She used her ability to manipulate attractive and repulsive forces by bringing the girl's ice cream cone out of her hand and into hers. (Kinda like Pain in the Naruto series. The Yahiko one. And I imagine the same idea and sound of their forces.)

The little girl's head bounced up as she gasped from the cone leaving her hand.

"It's okay" Helping Hands cautioned. "Don't be afraid."

She circled her right hand around the cone, giving it ice cream again.

"Here. Take it."

The girl, frightened, slowly reached for the cone. She swiftly snatched it from her hands, not knowing what this stranger was doing.

"There. That's better." Helping Hands smiled and waved goodbye before jumping away.

Helping Hands dropped down in the park in front of a woman on a bench. She placed her hand on top of the woman's head and looked into her eyes with her red ones.

"Your problem is . . . your husband." She analyzes. "He's sick."

Helping Hands steps back and looks at the terrified woman before her.

"What . . . ?" The woman trembles.

"Don't worry. I'll fix it." She smiles kindly.

Helping Hands shot a blue beam up into the sky from her hand. The beam curled and made a path to the hospital. The beam entered through an open window and weaved around obstacles, searching for the room of the woman's husband. Once inside the right room, the blue beam entered the sleeping man, causing him to abruptly awaken, painlessly.

"He's cured." She informed the woman.

The woman slowly scooted down the bench before running for help.

Helping Hands smiled at her deed, looking to solve another problem. She moved over to the fountain in the park and admired her reflection in the water.

"I can finally help everyone." She grinned. "No need to afford it. No money is required for this type of power I now possess."

She peered back at the water, searching among the coins. Once noticing a broken locket at the bottom, Helping Hands seized it to her hand. She lifted the dangling front half of it and looked at the portrait inside.

"Hmmph." She breathed.

Helping Hands closed her palms around the locket and squeezed it. The locket glowed while repairing and was soon fixed, appearing almost new. And with that, Helping Hands sent up another blue beam, but this one contained the necklace.

A few miles away, the blue beam found the locket's owner and placed it around her neck, shocking her.

Helping Hands left the park, making sure to spread many meals worth of food out for her friendly pigeons. She wanted to help them first before her adventure of good deeds fully began.

"Hold it right there." Ladybug commanded. "I will not let you go any further."

"Ladybug, I'm Helping Hands." She said, sweetly. "I can solve your problems too."

Helping Hands stepped forward, holding her hand out to Ladybug as she moved closer.

"Woah, now." Said Chat Noir, landing in front of Ladybug with his baton ready. "No need to be handsy." Chat Noir turned to Ladybug with a grin. "Don't worry bugaboo, I'm here to protect you now."

"Ugh, Chat Noir!" Ladybug rolled her eyes and groaned. "I don't need your protecting. I can handle myself."

Ladybug moved out from behind Chat Noir and threw her yo-yo towards Helping Hands.

The villain easily dodged the attack and frowned at the heroes.

"Well if you don't want my help then . . . I'll go find someone who does!" Helping Hands exclaimed. She waved her left hand and used her repelling force to launch the heroes across the city.

Ladybug and Chat Noir fell out of the sky and stumbled upon a rooftop with Ladybug landing on her bad ankle.

"Ow." She gasped under her breath.

"Are you okay, m'lady?" Chat Noir worried.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Ladybug limped to the edge of the roof.

"What happened?" He asked. Ladybug stayed quiet, staring down at the ground. "Really? You won't tell me?"

"Our superhero lives must be-"

"Separated from our civilian lives." Chat Noir finished. "Yeah, I know. You've told me a hundred times."

"Chat Noir."

"I'm just trying to help. I care about you and want to better our strategies by knowing what's going on." He insisted. "But . . . but you won't tell me anything. Not even why you're hurt."

"Chat Noir." She got louder.

"You won't even tell me what your pain is. I have always cared and worried about you. I just want to help you!"

"Chat Noir, stop!" Ladybug shouted, turning around. "Just leave it! If you actually cared about our partnership, or even our friendship, you'd shut up about it! Right now . . . you're just bothering me."

Chat Noir was taken back by what she said, almost hurt by her words. After all, he was known to "bother" his father all the time and interrupt his work.

Ladybug looked at him harshly for bringing up such topics before swinging off the roof on her yo-yo.

She soon found Helping Hands and landed in front of her.

"Now let's get down to-" Ladybug started. "Wha?" She was frozen.

Helping Hands held out her left hand and held Ladybug in a sort of paralysis.

"What? What are you . . . doing?" Ladybug asked, barely getting out a few words.

"I'm helping you." She answered.

"Helping . . . me?"

"I feel your agonizing pain Ladybug." She said, putting her right hand on top of Ladybug's head. "It almost brings me to tears, superhero. How much more can you take? You can't go on like this. You need peace."

"Helping Hands-" Ladybug struggled.

"Call me Hope." She corrected.

"Okay, Hope. You need . . . to stop. Hawkmoth is just . . . manipulating you. You-"

"No." Hope said blankly. "I never had much. Just enough to survive. I always felt like a charity and when I wanted to help others, I couldn't. But now . . . I can finally do something for others. No need for riches or money."

"But-"

"But nothing." Hope stopped her. "With this new power that I've been given, I can now help everyone." Helping Hands smiled happily and moved to put both of her hands on the sides of Ladybug's head. "And I'm going to start with you."

"What problem do I need . . . fixed? My ankle?" Ladybug questioned.

"No. It's something deeper than that." Hope said. "You know . . . I saw you . . . and Chat Noir the other day on the news. It made me sad that Paris's protectors were fighting. And now that I'm here with you, I know what your problem is. You can't handle the secrecy and neither can Chat Noir. Your relationship is failing and it's driving you insane-"

"Me and Chat Noir are just fine, Helping Hands." Ladybug argued. "We don't need your help."

"Oh really?" Hope's hands began to glow blue as Ladybug stayed paralyzed. "I'll show you then."

* * *

 ** **Yo, so I haven't written a story in a while, so I'm probably not as good as I used to be. This story literally came to me out of nowhere. I like the main idea I had, so I expanded it to make a story. Don't know how often I'll upload parts or how long the story will be. We'll see how it goes . . .****


	3. Chapter 3: The Vision Part 1

"I don't think so!" Chat Noir shouted, running towards the two.

He slammed his extended baton down onto Helping Hands' arms. Her hands let go of Ladybug and she lost her power's concentration on the superheroine. Helping Hands glared at Chat Noir before using her powers to bring him to her. She now has him paralyzed with his hands pinned behind his back.

Ladybug quietly summoned her lucky charm, but no one noticed.

"You stupid stray." Helping Hands hissed. "Stay out of my way."

"Yes." Hawkmoth grinned in his lair. "Now help me by taking his miraculous!"

"Got it." She agreed, reaching for his ring.

Ladybug then launched her yo-yo, making it wrap around Helping Hands' outstretched arm. Ladybug yanked the string back and brought the villain to the ground. Her hands landed in a puddle of honey, completely covering them. With her powers being masked by the honey, Chat Noir sprung back and called his cataclysm. He destroyed her dandelion ring and the akuma flew out.

"Time to deevilize!" Ladybug shouted as she snatched and purified the akuma. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Once Helping Hands was transformed back to her civilian self, Ladybug hopped on her good foot over to the girl.

"Ladybug?" The girl questioned.

"It's okay now, you and everyone else are safe." She assured, putting her hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Are you mad at me?" The girl asked. "I said some mean things to you earlier."

"No, we're not mad, but . . . " Ladybug scrunched up her eyebrows. "How do you remember what you had said when you were akumatized?"

"Am I not supposed to?" The girl stood up and brushed herself off. "I remember everything."

"Hmmmm." Ladybug was thinking, but it was interrupted by a beep of her miraculous. "Sorry, I gotta go."

Ladybug backed up, but Chat Noir grabbed her arm. "What?" Chat Noir suddenly picked Ladybug up and carried her. "Chat Noir! What are you doing?!"

Chat Noir ignored her and jumped away. He ran across rooftops with her in his arms.

"Chat Noir!" She protested, hitting against his chest. " I have to go! I'm gonna change back!"

Chat Noir dropped her off at a corner of a rooftop between neighboring buildings. He held her back tightly against him with her arms pinned at her sides.

"What are doing?!" She demanded an answer.

"I'm tired of all these secrets." He said angrily.

Chat Noir grabbed one earring, making her transformation slowly wither. He quickly turned her around and snatched the other.

Ladybug gasped and stumbled to the ground. Her transformation was gone.

"I can't believe you just did that?!" Marinette screamed.

Chat Noir gaped in shock at the image in front of him. Mainly the person in front of him. (He was focused on the person rather than the anger and threats she had began spewing.)

"How can you just stand their like an idiot after what you just did?" Marinette wanted an answer.

Chat Noir closed his mouth and looked at her. He couldn't believe it. He didn't know what he was thinking or feeling. What should he do now? He was confused and he didn't feel cheerful and excited, but dulled. Chat Noir didn't know what to feel or how to respond.

"Say something!" She demanded.

"I can't believe you're Marinette." He said, blankly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marinette didn't think she could get angrier.

"I've been tired of these stupid lies for as long as I can remember being partners. But . . . " Chat felt a bit harsher, but couldn't avoid how he actually felt. "I never imagined sweet, innocent Marinette . . . to be a liar."

"That's not fair." She claimed, tearing up, but still fighting. "You hardly known me, Chat Noir. You have no right to be disappointed in who I am or what I wish to keep to myself. It's my life and my secrets. I just . . . I can't believe you'd say something like that to me. You're just some nosey alley cat that needs to keep to himself." Marinette crossed her arms in frustration.

"I guess I never did know you." Chat admitted, bluntly. "But I wanted to . . . for so long and . . . you pushed me to this."

"I pushed you to this?!" Marinette raised her voice. "How is my right to privacy, me pushing you to invade my privacy and expose my secrets against my will?"

No answer. To be honest, Chat Noir didn't have one.

"Well if you're just going to insult me after you've cornered me here, then take me home already." Marinette looked away with her arms crossed. "I don't have time to fight both you and akumas."

"I want to get a look at your ankle first." Chat said, walking closer.

"Are you a doctor?" Marinette asked sarcastically.

"No." He bent down next to her. "But I can see how serious it is?"

Marinette sighed and let him continue. Chat Noir slipped off her shoe and pulled up her pant leg. The front and sides of her foot showed purple bruises, especially the the front of her ankle that had been the main point hit against the step. Her foot and ankle were a bit red and partly swollen, but definitely looked sore. Chat Noir moved her foot.

"Ow!" Marinette reacted.

"Sorry." He apologized before grazing his claws against her bruises, giving her an uneven look on her face. "You either fractured or broke it. This is too bruised and severe to be a sprain. You'll definitely need to see a doctor."

He put her shoe back on and helped her up.

"You probably made it a lot worse by fighting and all that running around." Chat said, walking to a corner. Chat Noir started jumping away quickly. "I'll be right back, don't worry!" He shouted in a rush.

"What?! Where are you going?!"

Five minutes passed before Chat Noir showed up again.

"And where exactly did you go and why?" Marinette pestered with her hands on her hips.

"I had to go feed my kwami real quick."

"Oh, so you can take my miraculous and reveal my identity, but you won't tell me who you are in return?"

Chat Noir had an anxious look on his face. He had his reasons for everything. He knew their partnership was fading and that after the reveal he was kind of disappointed, but he didn't want to ruin things more. At one time before, Nino had told him that Marinette has a crush on him. He obviously didn't believe him. Marinette showed no signs of a crush and Nino wouldn't know if she did, so he bypassed that thought. But now . . . if what Nino had said was really true, it would break Marinette's heart if she found out he wasn't interested. With all that's happened today, she doesn't need that.

"Yeah . . . " Chat answered unsurely.

"How is that fair?!"

"You know what it doesn't matter." He quickly tried to get out of the questions. "Let's just go."

"Ugh!" Marinette complained as Chat Noir picked her back up again.

Chat Noir began jumping from rooftops until he reached the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Chat Noir walked up to the front door and looked inside.

"Why don't you just take me up to my balcony?" Marinette asked.

"Because your parents have to take you to a doctor."

Marinette groaned as Chat Noir walked her inside.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng?" Chat Noir searched.

Marinette's parents turned around to see the two there.

"Oh my!" Sabine gasped. "Marinette? What happened?"

"There was an akuma attack." Chat Noir answered for her while setting her down. "She hurt her ankle and should probably go see a doctor."

"Oh dear, are you okay?" Sabine worried.

"I'm fine, mom." Marinette assured.

"Oh thank goodness." She sighed. "Thank you Chat Noir."

"No problem Mr. and Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." Chat Noir gave his two fingered salute.

"Oh please, before you go." Sabine held out a tray. "Take some sweets with you. It's the least we can do for one of Paris's superheroes."

"No, thank you. I couldn't."

"Alright." Sabine put the tray on the counter and hugged her daughter.

"Bye everyone." Chat Noir said, walking out the door while receiving a glare from Marinette.

Chat Noir jumped up to the rooftops and ran along them. He took in the magnificent scenery around him as he made his way to the Eiffel Tower. Once he got to the base, he climbed halfway up the tower. Chat Noir sat on the ledge with his legs dangling. He was deep in thought. His hand reached into his pocket and pulled out Ladybug's earrings. They sparkled with the city lights shining on them. He gazed into them.

"Marinette's Ladybug." Chat Noir whispered. He clenched his hand around the earrings. "But how can that be?! She's nothing like Ladybug! Marinette doesn't keep secrets. She isn't . . . a brave . . . outgoing . . . hero. Marinette always gets nervous and is clumsy. Ladybug is stable and always speaks her mind. They're . . . complete opposites!" Chat Noir imagined an image of Ladybug with an image of Marinette right next to it. "Hmmm . . . They do look . . . similar. But . . . not the same." He said, looking down. "Ladybug was the girl of my dreams. Just a pitiful crush now I guess. Marinette's . . . " Chat sighed. " . . . just a friend."

Chat Noir gazed down at the city. He had decided . . .


	4. Chapter 4: The Vision Part 2

The next day, Marinette had a boot on her foot and was walking with crutches. Everyone at school questioned her injury, but, to Adrien's surprise, she told the truth. Adrien figured she would say something cooler like helping Chat Noir or defeating an akuma instead of falling down the stairs like an idiot.

Because of her injuries, there was definitely no way Marinette could fulfill her Ladybug duties. She was lucky enough to have an easy akuma last time, but she had still needed help. Adrien would have to figure something out.

Adrien rested his chin on his fist. Class was starting, but he wasn't paying attention.

"What if I find that guardian guy? The one that gave me that colored cheese for transforming Plagg. "Adrien thought to himself. "He knows all about us and our powers, so he's probably our only chance. I'll have to wait till after school, but get it done before my photoshoot at six."

* * *

After school, Adrien ran to the locker room and let Plagg out of his bag.

"So what are you gonna do?" Plagg asked. "You can't just take Ladybug's miraculous and keep it. And you need a partner in crime for missions."

"I know, Plagg." Adrien reached into his bag and pulled out a business card. "But I need to find this guardian first and . . . all he gave me was this card for a massage shop."

"Master Fu works and resides there." Plagg said, looking at the card. "He obviously can't give you a card that says 'Miraculous Holder Secret Meeting Place full of Important Information that Could Destroy the World'."

"I get the idea, Plagg. Wait, what was that last part." Plagg waved it off and Adrien raised his eyebrows. "Let's just go see him."

Adrien ran out of the school to search for the shop. He found it hidden on a street corner. He walked up to the front door and knocked before walking inside.

"Come in, Chat Noir." Master Fu spoke.

Adrien came in and sat down on the floor.

"So what seems to be troubling you?" He asked, pouring a cup of tea.

"Well . . . " Adrien started, unsure of what exactly to say. "Ladybug got injured. Nothing too serious, but . . . She won't be able to fight. And I came to you since . . . I'd need to some help or . . . guidance."

"Well I could give out another miraculous, but . . . " Fu sighed. "I'm hesitant about having too many out." Master thought aloud while giving Adrien a cup of tea.

"What about Rena Rouge?" Adrien suggested. "She's been on multiple missions with us before and seems to be trustworthy."

"Yes." Fu agreed, feeling his beard. "Rena Rouge did do a good job and . . . if you somehow captured an akuma, you could bring it back to Ladybug to purify. You could probably trap it in a jar, but . . . you would have to get it to Ladybug quickly before it multiplies."

"But as long as we bring the akuma to Ladybug, me and Rena Rouge would be a good enough solution?" Adrien sipped his tea.

"Yes." Fu said, standing up. He walked over to where his miraculous box was hidden. He punched in all the codes and removed the fox miraculous before putting the box back in its place. "I'll pay a visit to Rena Rouge's civilian self later. It might be time for her to meet me. I'll personally give her her miraculous."

Master Fu put the fox necklace in its tiny black box and set it aside.

"Alright, thank you." Adrien waved to him and they bid each other farewell.

Adrien transformed once he was far enough away from the shop. He leaped from building to building until he reached Marinette's balcony. Chat Noir lifted the hatch and dropped inside.

Marinette was sitting in her desk chair, writing in a pink book.

"Hello . . . Marinette." Chat waved.

"Ah!" Marinette screamed, falling out of her chair, scattering her stuff. "Chat Noir?!" She peeled her book off of her head to look at him. "Why would you sneak into my room like that?!"

Chat Noir jumped down and helped her up. "I came to see you." Chat Noir picked up the pink book and looked at it. "Oooo. What's this?"

"Hey!" She snatched it. "That's my diary."

"Oh, now I'm interested."

"No." Marinette held the book away, stumbling with her boot. "Why are you here anyway? Why'd you want to see me?" She glared.

"I've found a solution to our problems." Marinette raised her eyebrow at him. "Rena Rouge and I are gonna be partners while you're out. And after we capture an akuma, we bring it back to you so you can purify it."

Marinette crossed her arms at him. "Well it didn't take too long for you to go off and replace me."

"It's not like that." Chat Noir held up his hands in defense. "You're . . . injured."

"Then give me my miraculous back." She said blankly, holding out a hand.

Chat Noir dug into his pocket and pulled out the spotted earrings. He placed them in her hand with an awkward smile, unsure of what to say in this situation.

"Is that all you came here to do?" Marinette asked.

" . . . yes." Chat Noir answered.

"Then leave." Marinette crossed her arms again.

She sat back in her chair and swiveled the other way. Chat Noir turned around and left. He felt too out of place to stay any longer.

Marinette signed and put her earrings on. She had hoped he'd at least apologize to her about everything. But she figured it might have been too far fetched right now. Tikki reappeared in front of her in a glow.

"Marinette! What happened?!" Tikki shouted at her chosen.

"It's a long story, Tikki." She said, tiredly.

* * *

 **After the Next Akuma Attack:**

"What do we do now, Chat Noir?" Rena Rouge asked. "Ladybug's not with us."

"We need to give this akuma to Ladybug." He answered, trapping the purple butterfly in a jar. "She needs to purify it before it multiplies."

"Well let's go."Rena smiled. She was excited to be a hero again. "No time to waste." She ran ahead along rooftops.

Chat Noir smiled her way. He was happier too.

"Wait . . . where are we meeting, Ladybug?" Rena asked, turning around.

Chat Noir chuckled and followed after her.

* * *

Ladybug sat atop a roof that was a few over from her balcony. She didn't want Rena Rouge/Alya to know her identity also, so she tried her best to swing on over to the spot she's at now.

The two superheroes dropped down in front of her.

"Here's the akuma." Chat said, holding out the jar.

Ladybug stood up and took the jar. She released the akuma and took out her yo-yo. She swung it around and caught the small butterfly. This time, she didn't say her usual catch phrase.

"Here's your jar back." Ladybug tossed it to them.

Chat Noir barely caught it, but thanks to his fast reflexes, he did.

"Well Rena Rouge, it's been nice fighting with you, but I gotta go before this chat loses his nine lives." Chat Noir happily held out his fist to Rena Rouge. His transformation was about to go, but he waited for a fist bump.

"Oh . . . yeah. See you next time." Rena Rouge gave him a fist bump back and smiled.

They both left in opposite directions with Ladybug left in the middle.

Ladybug stood still. She knew at that moment. At that very second that their fists touched and they had looked into each others' eyes . . . time had stood still . . . Ladybug knew then . . . She had been replaced.


	5. Chapter 5: The Deal

Ladybug gasped as her mind was brought back to reality. Hope's hands stopped glowing blue.

"What was that? It was . . . so real." Ladybug panted. "Almost like I was actually there . . . where ever I was, but . . . I was still here. I never moved. Like . . . another dimension."

"That was a glimpse into your possible future." Hope answered, removing her hands from Ladybug's head. "I have the power to see other peoples' futures so I can help them with their problems."

"Wait." Ladybug said to Hope. "How do I know if all, or if any, of this stuff that you're showing me is true? You're a villain. Why should I believe you?"

"Because I'm not necessarily a villain." Hope started. "I mean yes I do look like one and my powers are from Hawkmoth, but . . . I help people. I offer solutions that I see fit for their problems. But since I am fan and you were my idol for being a real life superhero, I'll let you decide your fate from the choices."

"Choices?" Ladybug raised an eyebrow.

"You and Chat Noir are falling apart." Hope said honestly. "He's always pestering about your identity and asking every detail about your life. We both know that it's getting out of hand. Especially with your constant rejection and avoidance of the answers. It drives both of you crazy and hurts both sides. This pain needs to stop."

"I know." Ladybug agreed, looking down at the ground. "You're right about me and Chat Noir. And yes, my patience is wearing thin and I can't stand him for it. But . . . we'll get better . . . eventually."

"But how?" Hope asked, sitting next to her. "Something has to change and unless you fix the issue, what I showed you will become a reality. Do you want to live that life?"

Ladybug pondered it. "But what could you possibly do? What could you, yourself, change?"

"Well there's many things that I could-"

"Don't worry I'll save you, Ladybug!" Chat Noir shouted, running towards them.

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug angrily shouted. "I don't need your protecting."

Helping Hands walked up to him and grabbed his hand that held his baton. She looked into his eyes for a brief moment.

"Why don't you leave us alone for a moment?" She asked before using her hand to easily launch him across the city again.

"He's Something, alright." Hope laughed. "Did you know that he has Ladybug and Chat Noir action figures? Aw and posters too!"

"Oh my gosh." Ladybug cringed. "That's so weird. You saw that?"

"Well I did only look for a moment when I had touched him. I do have the power to look into peoples' thoughts and memories, but there were lots of Ladybug memorabilia in there." She answered. "He probably acts out situations like this with all his toys so he can come in as the hero saying 'I'll protect you Bugaboo.'"

"Ugh!" Ladybug raged. He's always saying stuff like that. He thinks I can't handle myself, always trying to be a hero." She flared. "He just wants me to tell him everything and love him back-" Ladybug stopped when she saw Hope's smile.

"Now there's the problem." Hope analyzed. "Chat Noir is in love with you."

"What does that have to do with his constant nagging?" Ladybug was a bit confused.

"Think about it. If Chat Noir wasn't in love with you, he wouldn't care who you were underneath the mask, he would protect you as a partner, but believe in your own abilities and he wouldn't need to know all about your civilian life. The job at hand would be the only thing of importance."

"Hmmm." This started to appeal to Ladybug and she was kind of happy about it. "I hate to admit it, but that sounds pretty good."

"So do you want me to just change his affection for you? Make it so Chat Noir never fell in love with you?" Hope asked. "Anything else?"

"No-wait." Ladybug said, realization hitting her. "What's in this for you?"

"Well . . . I was kind of hoping you wouldn't take my akuma away." She said unsurely. "I would continue to help everyone like I've been doing. I'd just keep a way lower profile."

"You wouldn't do any harm?" Ladybug narrowed her eyes at her.

"Of course I won't. I'm Helping Hands after all." She showed her glowing hands. "It's my duty to help others. No cheating."

Ladybug thought for a moment. "Alright . . . "

Hope held out her pinkie and Ladybug crossed it with her own.

"It's a deal then."

Their pinkies glowed as the deed was made.

Chat Noir came stumbling back, out of breath after going that far distance so many times.

Helping Hands stood up and held out both of her hands. She blasted Chat Noir with two beams of blue light. The light froze him in his tracks before he fell to the ground.

"Woah, what happened to him?" Ladybug asked.

"He'll be out for maybe two more minutes." Helping Hands said as she walked back to Ladybug. "When he wakes up, he's just your partner. He will not love you anymore and he won't keep chasing after you."

"What about you?" Ladybug asked.

"Just tell Chat Noir that you defeated me. I'll go into hiding and keep a low profile." She announced, turning around. "We should meet up every once in a while in case anything changes and to know what's happening on both sides. We could be really good friends, Ladybug." She smiled.

"Wait, but how-"

"My number's already in your yo-yo. And I just got myself a phone with these powers like 5 minutes ago, so I'm not that great with it." Hope dug in the pockets in her dress. "Look, it's a dandelion. And it opens and resembles your yo-yo. I can call you and you can call me."

Ladybug checked her yo-yo contacts and saw that there was one titled "Helping Hands/Hope."

"Anyway, I better get going before he wakes up." She said, turning back around."And by the way." Hope looked back. "I fixed your ankle. Don't know if that counts as cheating or not, but I thought it would help."

"Oh no. It's okay." Ladybug smiled.

Helping Hands waved good bye before she ran off. While running, she swiped a hand over herself and made a black hooded cloak appear. She flipped the hood over her head and jumped up to the building rooftops and ran off.

Ladybug turned around and ran over to the unmoved Chat Noir. She shook him awake.

"Ladybug?" Chat Noir asked. "What happened? Why does my head hurt?"

"Y-You uh hit your head." She came up with an excuse.

"What happened to the akuma?" Chat rubbed his head. "And why am I on the ground?"

"I took care of the akuma. And you're on the ground because . . . you fell."

"I thought you said I hit my head?" He asked, getting up.

"Y-Yeah y-you fell and then . . . you hit your head." Ladybug said nervously, scratching the back of her head.

"Okay?" He said standing up. "Well if everything's fixed . . . then I'll be going. No need to waste time here."

Chat Noir took out his baton and used it to propel himself away across the rooftops.

"O-kay." Ladybug said awkwardly.

It was strange to finish a mission without a fist bump.

* * *

"Ahhhh . . . I feel at ease, Tikki." Marinette sighed as she sunk down in her bubble bath.

"But Marinette!" Tikki shouted. "You just changed everything. You made it so Chat Noir is not in love with you anymore. You just changed your whole past and future!"

"Relax, Tikki." Marinette assured. "This is for the best anyway. Me and Chat Noir don't have to fight with each other anymore. We can focus on the akumas instead. No questioning my civilian life, no wanting to know my identity, no more constant arguing and most importantly, my stress levels are way down."

"But, Marinette, why would you make a deal with an akuma?" Tikki panicked, flying in front of her face. "Akumas are Hawkmoth's pawns for power. They can never be trusted. Especially when making deals. You could end up powerless and the enemy winning!"

"Calm down." Marinette put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes. "I'm enjoying myself right now and this akuma's different anyway. I don't think we have anything to worry about with her."

"But Marinette, this is dangerous." Tikki worried.

No response. Marinette wasn't listening anymore.

"You can't just avoid your problems and have someone else "fix" them for you, Marinette. It's your job to make the right decision. You can't just run away." Tikki sighed, knowing she didn't listen to a word of it. "I don't think you really know how much has changed." Tikki said quietly before flying out of the room.

* * *

"What have you done?! Why did you retreat?!" Hawkmoth shouted. "Why didn't you take their miraculouses?!"

Helping Hands stood ten feet in front of Hawkmoth with her black hood down. She had come to talk to him and find out what would happen next.

"You know I could just take your powers away right now?"

"I'm sorry." She apologized. "I just wanted to help-"

"You work for me, Helping Hands. And if you don't do as I say, then I will take your powers away." Hawkmoth announced, making a fist.

"But I became friends with them. They like me now." She countered.

"Hmm. I guess . . . I could have you do some things for me. If you want to keep your powers." He thought aloud.

"Oh, yes, sir. I'll do anything." She begged.

"You could get me some information." Hawkmoth said, not really suggesting.

"I-Information?" Hope stuttered.

"Yes." He grinned. "You could find out information about the miraculouses for me from Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"I guess I could do that." Helping Hands looked down at the ground.

"Although of course you'll still need to snatch their miraculouses for me, but in time. I want you to get some information out of them first."

"O-Okay, Hawkmoth."

"You can go now." He said, walking towards the exit. "Just remember to stay hidden."

"Got it." She said sadly. She didn't want to do this, but she had no choice. There was an unpleasant feeling in the pit of her stomach and she knew it was the feeling of betrayal. She felt bad for Ladybug and Chat Noir.

* * *

 ** **Since I haven't written anything in a while, I'd love some feedback if anyone has any. Also, if anyone has any questions about the story, just ask. Tell me what ya think.****

 ** **-Alice Pink****


	6. Chapter 6: The Class Couple

"Marinette!" Sabine called from downstairs. "Get up or you're gonna be late for school."

Marinette jumped up with wide eyes.

"Oh no no no no." She panicked, running down her steps and across the room. "Yesterday I found a solution to all of my problems, but this . . . is not how I wanted to start the new day." She breathed. "New beginning, new Chat Noir, but same old Marinette." Marinette sighed and picked up her clothes to get dressed.

"Yeah, no kidding you haven't changed." Tikki retorted.

"Huh? What was that, Tikki?" She turned to her kwami.

"Oh nothing." Tikki replied blankly.

Tikki knew there was no changing Marinette's mind and her chosen was not going to listen to any advice she offered. For now, Tikki just had to play along and watch. She had to hope for Marinette to realize what's right.

"Bye mom! Bye dad!" Marinette waved as she bolted down the stairs and out of the bakery.

"Bye sweetie." They said in unison, but she was already gone.

Marinette stepped outside the door and looked around. She was inspecting for any noticeable changes. So far everything appeared as normal as before. Nothing too out of the ordinary.

Marinette was excited for the change, but she had hoped it didn't change too much. She didn't even know who Chat Noir truly was or what he did. She had no idea who his civilian self was and she didn't know what kind of an impact he had on others in Paris.

"Oh who am I kidding?" Marinette laughed. "There's no way Chat Noir would have any effects on my regular life. We barely know each other and I've only met him a few times as Marinette. I shouldn't be worrying. A small change isn't going to hurt anything." She loosened her grip on her backpack straps. "Besides, I need to get to school anyway."

Marinette brushed off her suspicions and crossed the street to the school. On her way she saw Adrien's white limo pull up. A smile rose on her face. With Chat Noir out of the picture now, she could leave all of her focus on Adrien. She took a chance with her newfound confidence and waved to him.

"Hi, Adrien." Marinette walked up to him and continued to nervously wave. "So-"

"Listen, Marinette." He interrupted, holding his hand up. "I know all about your little crush on me."

"M-My c-crush?" Marinette's face started turning red.

"And you gotta calm down about it." He put his hand on her shoulder and continued, pretending to be compassionate. "You're not the only girl chasing after me."

"W-What?" Marinette was confused. This was nothing like the Adrien she knew.

Adrien closed his eyes and put his hands behind his head. "Plus I don't think my GIRLFRIEND would appreciate a fan that goes to the same school as me talking to me all the time." He made sure to emphasize the word girlfriend.

Marinette's train of thought stopped abruptly.

"Wait! What? Your girlfriend?" Marinette questioned.

"Yeah, my girlfriend." He opened his eyes and saw that Marinette was still lost. "Chloe? You know, blonde, rich, blue eyes."

"Chloe? . . . " Marinette said quietly.

"Did someone say my name?" Chloe smiled as she skipped over and laid her arm on Adrken's shoulder. "Oh it's you, Marinette. Nice to see you."

"Chloe is being nice to me? This can't be happening." Marinette thought in her head. "Am I in a parallel universe? Am I dead? Wait, Chloe wouldn't be in heaven. Wait, what if I'M not in heaven-"

"Earth to Marinette." Chloe waved in front of her face, bringing her out of her thoughts. "I said how have you been. I haven't spoke to you lately since you always seem so busy. You're always so into your designing that I hardly ever get a chance to talk to you anymore."

"Oh." Marinette said awkwardly. "I'm . . . good."

"I was just telling her to back off." Adrien admitted, trying to act cool. "It's obvious that she was trying to get with me. I didn't want lead her on."

"Oh, Adrien." Chloe laughed and brushed it off. "You know my sweet friend Marinette wouldn't do something like that. She's not that kind of person."

"Whatever you say." Adrien scoffed. "Paris girls are chasing me everywhere."

"Well anyway, we better get to class. Don't wanna be late." Chloe linked arms with Adrien and they walked inside together.

Marinette was wide eyed and almost stunned by what she was hearing, but she had to believe it all. It was right in front of her.

Marinette held onto her backpack straps and followed them.

Once in the classroom, everything seemed to be pretty normal. The only difference that Marinette immediately spotted was that Chloe sat with Adrien and Nino sat with Sabrina. Most likely because Chloe was dating Adrien.

"Hey, Marinette." Alya waved. Marinette hesitantly sat next to her in her normal seat. "What's up? Why do you seem so distracted? You looked as if you were trying to find something."

"Oh nothing. Just tired." Marinette answered.

Alya shrugged, getting out her phone. "Anyway, guess what the latest news on the Ladyblog is?"

Marinette smiled and sighed inside. At least Alya was normal.

"What's new?" She asked.

"It's about the last akuma attack." Alya said, sending shivers down Marinette's spine. "For some reason, no one remembers seeing Ladybug defeat the akuma. Everyone saw her jump in, but then their minds went blank and all anyone remembers afterwards was Ladybug and Chat Noir leaving."

"Everyone?" Marinette scrunched her eyebrows.

"Yes, everyone. No one has any memory for that time. Almost like it never happened." Alya scrolled threw her phone. "And what's even weirder is that there's a woman putting up posters all over Paris for her missing daughter. And!" Alya held up a finger with her story. "This missing girl also happens to be the akuma victim from the last attack. If Ladybug defeated her, what happened? Where'd the girl go? She should have been brought back completely normal."

Marinette felt a little guilt in her chest. She especially felt bad for that girl's mother.

"Isn't that strange?" Alya asked at the end of her story.

"Yeah." Marinette agreed, acting as if she knew nothing. "Were you there when the attack happened?"

"Uh huh." Alya nodded. "I was a few buildings away, talking to a woman who saw the villain. But then right after, I can't remember."

"Alright class, settle down." Ms. Bustier said as she walked in classroom. "We're going to finish yesterday's lesson today. Also a reminder that the school dance is on Friday. Please remember to follow the dress code and most importantly, have fun." She smiled.

Marinette blinked her eyes wide. She completely forgot about the dance. When it was first announced, she wanted to go and wanted to ask Adrien, but she can't ask him now.

"Great." Marinette thought to herself. "And just when I thought I was getting closer to Adrien, Chloe starts dating him and I can't ask him to the dance. Maybe I'll go with Alya. Unless she gets a date . . . "

Marinette crossed her arms and laid her head down on the desk.

"It's gonna be a long day." Marinette sighed.

* * *

Tikki smiled to herself as Marinette walked up her steps, ranting.

"I mean . . . why has everything changed, Tikki." Marinette groaned as she fell back on her bed. "Chloe and Adrien dating. That doesn't even make any sense. Why would Chat Noir have anything to do with them?"

Tikki opened her mouth to say something, but closed it.

Tikki of course knew all the answers, but she couldn't tell Marinette. The main reason was because she knew Adrien was Chat Noir after the Dark Owl incident. Today she had figured everything out and pieced it all together after watching from Marinette's bag.

The reason Adrien was dating Chloe was because he never fell in love with Ladybug and didn't know how to make friends. Since Chloe was a childhood friend, she was an immediate pick and he stayed close to her so he could get used to school.

Chloe became nice after Adrien reciprocated her feelings. After he mother left her, she longed for acknowledgement and once Adrien was the one to offer it, she became nicer. She didn't need to compete or get anyone else's attention because she was happy with Adrien's.

Adrien became an obnoxious monster because he knew he was a rich model. He started his relationship with the old Chloe who made it known to him that he has many fans. And because Adrien never made lower class friends, he is stuck with the bratty, popular lifestyle, not knowing anything else.

And the reason Chat Noir is shyer and nice is because he knows that no one knows his identity. He can't use it to his advantage and he doesn't have to worry about the same kind of treatment he gets as Adrien. He's praised for his deeds as a superhero rather than looks like when he's Adrien. The newer Chat Noir also hates wasting time and would rather get the job over with and be done.

Although Tikki wished to tell Marinette, she had to keep to herself. Marinette got herself in this mess. She was certainly not gonna help her learn all of the statistics, so she can avoid them to be happy in this world.

"I don't know, Marinette." Tikki said with her arms behind her back. "Maybe tomorrow will be better."

"I hope you're right, Tikki." Marinette turned on her side and grabbed her covers. "It's been a long day."

Tikki stood with a blank face.

Marinette's phone began to ring at the corner of her bed. Marinette reached for it and tapped the screen.

"Hello?" She said, sitting up with her hair slightly messed from laying down.

"Marinette?" A young girl's voice could be heard.

"Who is this?" Marinette asked. She pulled back her phone to look at it, but didn't recognize the number.

"It's me . . . Hope."

"Hope? How'd you get my cellphone number?" Marinette asked, confused. "You only had my Ladybug yo-yo information."

"It honestly wasn't that hard." Hope chuckled. "With my powers, I can practically figure out anything and everything."

Tikki flew up to Marinette, waving her hands, wanted to know what's going on.

"Okay." Marinette said, waving Tikki's concern away. "But is there a problem? Is something wrong? Why'd you call?"

"No, nothing's wrong." Hope answered. "I just wanted to see if we could meet up tomorrow or something. To check up on eachother's side of things."

"Uh, sure." Marinette said, yawning. "Where do you wanna meet? It would probably be best to meet up after school tomorrow. I would say now's fine, but . . . I need a nap."

"It's fine." Hope giggled. "How about the park then?"

"That sounds fine." Marinette fluffed her pillow.

"Okay, see you then." Hope hung up.

Marinette sighed and collapsed back on her bed. Her eyes immediately shut.

"Marinette!" Tikki shouted, wanting to know about the phone call.

It was no use. Marinette was already fast asleep.

"I can't convinced her." Tikki realized. "She'll have to learn her lesson the hard way." Tikki turned around and flew away. "Every Ladybug does. I just hope she realizes before it's too late."


	7. Chapter 7: The New Adrien

Adrien stood in a farther room in the depths of his mansion in front of a backdrop. He had his arms crossed and angrily tapped his foot with impatience.

"Where is she?" Adrien barked at Natalie.

"Just wait, Adrien." Natalie consoled. "It's just now 4 o'clock. She'll be here soon with your outfit."

"She better be." He scoffed. "Father needs to hire better stylists than this. It's embarrassing for the company and people like us don't deserve this kind of treatment."

Natalie stayed quiet, but inside, she was disappointed. She remembered when Adrien was a kind, young boy, but now . . . he's not. He uses his riches to his advantage and thinks he's better than others. She loved the old Adrien and tried to always be there for him when no one else was, but . . . she doesn't know what happened to him. He was just different one day . . .

 ** **18 Months Ago:****

"Adrien!" Someone yelled.

Adrien was waiting for his limo to pick him up from school when he heard someone call for him. He turned around to see a girl, about his age, standing at a light pole, waving to him.

"Adrien!" She squealed again as she excitedly ran over to him.

"Um . . . do I know you?" Adrien asked awkwardly.

She quickly pulled out her phone and snapped a picture of them.

"Probably not, but I'm your biggest fan." She answered, practically jumping up and down. "Can I have your autograph?" She immediately pulled out a pen and paper and shoved it in his face.

"Uh . . . sure." Adrien hated signing autographs, but he liked to make a fan or two happy every once in a while. "Here you go." He smiled and handed her the paper and pen.

"Oh my gosh, thank you." She squealed, pulling out her phone. "I should text my friends! They would love to meet you too! I'll message them right away!" She rapidly typed on the screen.

"Wait, hold up, that's not necessary." Adrien held his hands out and tried to stop her typing and nicely turn her down. "I'm just waiting for my limo."

"It's fine!" She brushed him off. "We could be such great friends! Me, you and my friends." She smiled and continued to type. "We could have our own little friend group!"

" . . . friends?" Adrien mumbled. "I've never had friends before."

"Oh my gosh! Is that _the_ Adrien Agreste?!" Said another girl about the same age as Adrien.

Adrien turned to see the other girl excitedly running towards him.

"Smile!" She screamed before planting a kiss on his cheek and taking a picture.

"Hey! Adrien was talking to me!" The first girl death glared.

"Adrien's not yours." The second fought back. "He has many fans and a ton better than you."

Adrien opened his mouth to speak, but didn't know what to say. He tried to calm them, but didn't know what to do.

"You don't deserve Adrien." The first raged. "I'm his biggest fan!"

"No, I'm his biggest fan!" The other screamed back.

"Why you-"

"Hey!" They were interrupted to see a blonde before them.

"Chloe Bougeois?" One questioned.

"That's right." Chloe confirmed. "Now leave Adrien alone. Neither of you deserve him." She put her hand firmly on her hip.

"Wha!" One gasped.

"How could you say that!" Shouted the other one. "You're just a spoiled brat."

"Maybe I am." Chloe admitted. "But I am Adrien's true friend. Not you. And as you know, my dad's the mayor of this city, _so . . ._ that gives me power over you."

"So wh-"

"So." Chloe grinned. "So leave my friend alone or you'll wish you had."

Both girls scoffed before departing in opposite directions, mumbling things about Chloe.

"Thanks, Chloe." Adrien smiled.

"Don't mention it." Replied Chloe. "And Adrien, you're new to going to school, so . . . I'd watch out if I were you. Fans and enemies are everywhere. Don't trust everyone you meet."

"What do you mean?" Adrien asked, scrunching his eyebrows.

"Not everyone is who they seem to be." Chloe put both of her hands on her hips. "Someone might say they're your friend, but end up using you for money or popularity. Some will pretend to hate you, or hide their reactions, and others will pretend to love you. That's how it is for people like us. Our parents and our way of life is different from theirs, which they use to their advantage. Just . . . don't let them."

"But . . . the people at school didn't seem like that." Adrien added. "They weren't so hyper like those two girls. And that one girl . . . Marinette was it . . . she didn't seem like a fan. I'm sure if I just apologize to her about the gum again, we can be friends."

"Trust me, Adrien. Marinette's no different from everyone else." Chloe said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "I pulled a simple prank on Marinette and she was immediate to accuse you. She didn't even let you speak or give reasoning. She was quick to hate you, but that could've all been a lie to get you to feel bad or notice her."

"Do you really think she'd do that?" Adrien listened. "Without really knowing me?"

"We're talking about your fans, Adrien. They know everything about you and they'd probably do anything to get your attention. For someone who didn't even see you put the gum on the seat, Marinette was quick to accuse the unknown, rich boy." Chloe reasoned. "Believe me . . . I've been there."

"You have?" Adrien asked.

"Yep." Chloe nodded. "But I know all the rules and tricks to their games, so I can identify all of the fake people. I'll send them off immediately and escape their false friendships. I'm not really a fan of snakes."

"You know what? I'm gonna go talk to this Marinette girl. I'll just apologize to her and then we can become friends. Without the awkwardness or fame from my part." Adrien suggested. "Everything will be okay. I can be friends with average people."

"I'm warning you, Adrien." Chloe cautioned. "You'll find out the hard way."

He ignored her. "Where does she live?"

Chloe put her head in one of her hands, shaking it. She sighed and pointed ahead. "In that bakery over there."

"Thanks, Chloe." Adrien started to run over, but stopped. "Can you call Natalie and tell her I'm with you? She's probably busy since she's late and would probably be okay with not having to pick me up."

"Yeah yeah, okay." Chloe agreed, waving him off.

Adrien sprinted to the bakery and ran inside. Once inside he spun in a circle, looking at every pastry and dessert. Afterall, he had never been to a bakery before.

"Hello, how can I help you?" Sabine asked with a smile.

"Oh . . . um." Adrien turned to her. "Does Marinette live here? I'm one of her classmates."

"Yes, Marinette's upstairs." Sabine answered. "Does she know you're coming?"

"Uh . . . no." Adrien scratched the back of his head. "I just came to talk to her."

"Oh okay." Sabine pointed to the door leading to the hallway. "I have to stay in the bakery, but you can go on up to see her. Her room is on the top floor."

"Okay, thank you." Adrien went through the door and followed the stairs to the top. "Marinette." He called, knocking on her pink trap door.

No response. Adrien slowly opened the door and walked inside, making sure he wasn't walking in on anything he shouldn't. He saw her room was empty and her balcony trap door was left open.

"Marinette!" He called louder.

Adrien was about to walk up to the balcony to check for her, but a picture of him caught his eye. Adrien walked over to her desk and saw the wall with different pictures of him.

"What's with these pictures?" Adrien whispered, confused. He grabbed one off of the wall. "I thought . . . she hated me." He looked around. "No dartboard, no exes over the eyes, or anything. Maybe . . . Chloe was right. All of these pictures and Marinette still won't talk to me at school. Is she playing me like Chloe said? Is she a fake friend?"

Adrien saw more pictures and a list on the desk. Pictures of Gabriel Agreste fashion and a list of details on the designs and industry.

"Just a fan, knowing so much about me and my father's company. Guess she never was a friend." Adrien clenched his fist angrily. "Uh! Why can't I make friends! Are any of them real!" He slammed his fist on the desk. "I should of listened to Chloe." He concluded. "If I don't know who's faking or who's real, I will only be used and never be happy with friends to rely on. I can't trust . . . anyone."

Adrien ran out of the room and down all the steps. He bolted out the bakery door and looked around, out of breath. Billboards, poles and posts everywhere had his face plastered on them. Some even had girls staring at them. There was no escaping.

"Who can I believe?" Adrien mumbled as he walked down the street. "Chloe's always been there for me. I guess . . . I didn't realize that my background wouldn't mix well with a public school."

Adrien put his hands in his pockets and kept walking.

* * *

Ladybug ran along the rooftops with a huge smile on her face. She jumped over to hers and landed through her trap door. She detransformed and walked down the steps.

"Wow, you were right, Tikki. Being Ladybug is awesome." Marinette breathed, sitting in her desk chair. "Are there any other hidden powers that Ladybug can do?"

"Oh, yeah. Plenty." Tikki flew over to her.

"Really? How do I use them?" Marinette asked excitedly.

"I don't really know." Tikki admitted. "Kwamis aren't supposed to know how to upgrade. It can backfire if we were taken or kidnapped for evil reasons."

"Aw, that stinks." Marinette said, picking one of the pictures off her wall.

"Are you gonna finish your dress that you were sewing?" Tikki asked, looking at the pictures. "You usually look at pictures of that Agreste boy when you want inspiration."

"I don't know. I'm not really motivated at the moment." Marinette put the picture down. "And saying that I always look at this boy, sounds like a crush. Which I don't have. I've only known him for like 3 days. I thought he put gum on my seat and he gave me an umbrella when it was raining." Marinette smiled, turning to her kwami. "That's not enough for a crush."

"Mhmmm." Tikki grinned. "Then what was that blush on your face? And your stuttering? And nervousness? The umbrella?"

"The rain was cold and I have social anxiety." Marinette explained, trying to win the argument.

"Sure . . . " Tikki rolled her eyes.

* * *

There was a small knock at the door in Chloe' s suite at the hotel. Chloe got up off her couch and put her phone in her pocket. She opened the door to see Adrien standing before her.

"Adrien?" Chloe questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" He smiled, looking up from the ground.

"A d-date . . . with me?" Chloe stuttered in surprise. "Really?"

"Yeah. If that's okay with you . . . " Adrien's smile widened. "I'd like to."

Chloe smiled happily in return. "I'd love to."

They both giggled and smiled at eachother for a moment.

 ** **Present Day:****

Natalie wished she knew what happened that day. She wished she had asked, but it's too late now. It would seem rude to ask now and she was a bit afraid of his behavior now.

"Sorry, I'm late." Said the stylist as she hurried through the door with clothes piled into her arms.

"About time." Adrien scoffed.

"Your father changed the outfit you're supposed to wear." She searched through the pile. "Here it is." She handed him the outfit and dropped a few on the floor. "Oh, wait, that's not the right shirt." She panted, rummaging through the pile on the floor. "Ah, here it is." She smiled handing him the found shirt.

Adrien, looked at her disgusted.

"Ugh! This shirt is wrinkled now! I can't wear this!" He yelled, throwing the shirt back at her. "You're fired!" He pointed to the door.

"B-But, Mr. Agreste, your father called me for an immediate meeting about your outfit. He wants a different look featured in your next magazine. Please." She pleaded. "I tried my best to get here on time."

"My decision's final." Adrien fake smiled and kept his hand pointing to the door. "Now please leave the building as you no longer work here."

"Huh!" The stylist gasped in disbelief. She was on the verge of tears.

* * *

Marinette sat on a bench at the park, waiting to meet up with Hope. Tikki poked her head out of the small, pink purse.

"Why aren't you transformed, Marinette?" Tikki asked.

"Well Hope already knows who I am, so it'd be easier to just be Marinette instead of drawing attention to myself as Ladybug." Marinette answered, looking at her phone.

"Hey, Marinette!" A girl waved, walking towards her.

Marinette didn't recognize the girl coming towards her. She had on a light purple romper with small butterfly outlines on it that looked amazing with her tan skin. She also wore silver gemmed sandals, but she had familiar rainbow hair that made Marinette recognize her.

"Hope? Is that you?" Marinette squinted her eyes at her.

"Yup." She nodded.

"You look . . . different. I didn't even recognize you." Marinette said, noticing her eyes. Her eyes were now a glowing green instead of red. "Are you wearing contacts?"

"Yeah. I created a new outfit and let my hair out of its bun, but my eyes might have been a giveaway for my powers." She admitted. "Plus I don't actually need glasses like I had before."

"Well, you look great." Marinette complimented. "I like your romper."

"Thanks. I made it myself." She proudly waved her hands over fabric. "I've found out that I have a knack for designing clothes with my powers."

"Hey that's something that we have in common." Marinette smiled. "Although my stuff is made by hand instead of magic."

"Magic's the fun way. Anything I imagine, I can make reality. You should really try it sometime with your Ladybug powers." Hope winked.

Marinette nodded and changed the subject. "So what did you want to meet up with me for?"

"Well . . . " Hope started awkwardly. "Since we're friends now, I . . . wanted to get to know you better."

"Get to know me better?" Marinette questioned. "But can't you just touch my hand or something and figure it out? You have the power to see into peoples' minds and find their life story. Why not do that?"

"I may be curious, but I'm also fair. I'd rather learn it from you instead." She smiled. "Plus, you can't always believe what you see."

"Oh okay." Marinette shook it off. "Well . . . what do you want to know?"

"How you got your miraculous. How you became Ladybug." Hope gleamed. "I wanna know all the magic. After all, I am one of your biggest fans. I also want to know your hobbies and interests."

"Um . . . I received my miraculous from an old guardian man and I became Ladybug randomly." Marinette tapped her chin in thought. "I was chosen I guess and . . . it was unexpected. I didn't know the guardian prior and I just found my miraculous in my bedroom. Which I still don't know how he got into my room. Kind of creepy . . . "

"That does sound kind of creepy." Hope laughed. "Some old man who guards magic powers and secrets chose a random 15 year old to bestow some powers upon and snuck them into her room. Sounds . . . interesting."

"That's not all." Marinette giggled. "I made a complete fool of myself on my first mission. I nearly broke my neck trying to use my yo-yo and I almost quit."

"Oh. That sounds awful." Hope laughed along. "But at least you're still Ladybug."

"Yeah." Marinette sighed. "I would've really regretted giving up my chance to be Ladybug. But . . . oh! My hobbies." She changed the subject. "I . . . I like to sew and design. I assist my parents in our bakery, so I do some baking. I enjoy helping people obviously. I'm a pro at video games if I do say so myself." Marinette smiled and straightened her jacket.

"That's a lot. I don't really do anything." Hope admitted. "I never really had much, so I kind of just watched everyone. I learned from them and saw the beauty that lies all around us in the world."

"Wow. That's deep." Marinette nodded her head. "I guess I never really thought of everything like that. I never thought about how much I had." Marinette thought aloud.

"You never understand how the world works until you watch the people in it and feel the plants around you. The trees swaying, people conversing, and the birds chirping." Hope looked up dreamingly. "It's amazing."

"I go about my day without paying too much attention to the details around me." Marinette announced, almost feeling ashamed. "I guess I usually only worry about myself. I haven't really experienced the relationship between people and nature."

"You can try anytime. It's not that har-" Hope was interrupted by a scream.

"I guess we have to cut this visit short." Marinette rolled her eyes. and hopped off of the park bench. Marinette looked around to see the park mostly empty. She ran behind the bench anyway and called out to Tikki. "Tikki, spots on!" Once transformed, Ladybug stood up from behind the bench and gave a two fingered salute. "See ya later." She smiled.

Hope waved and Ladybug swung away on her yo-yo. Ladybug followed the path of the running citizens. She found the akuma in the middle of a street and crouched down on top of the roof to watch.

The akuma appeared to be a middle aged woman. She had her hair in a formal bun with a headband. She had a knee length, spandex dress that was green. She wore bright lipstick and a giant measuring tape tied around her waist in a bow.

"Hello, Ladybug." She smirked, looking up from the street. "How nice of you to join us. You'd be the perfect model for me!" She grabbed her measuring tape and launched it up at Ladybug.

Ladybug dodged it and jumped off the building. "Who are you and why are you attacking the people of Paris?!" Ladybug breathed, catching her balance.

"I am Poser and I'm going to perfect my job as a stylists, but on a greater scale." She laughed. "Everyone will be my model. Now pose for me, Ladybug!" Poser shouted, throwing her measuring tape again.

Ladybug ducked, but the measuring tape wrapped around a man standing behind her. The man's outfit changed to a suit and tie with him posing like a businessman.

"Sorry." Ladybug apologized, running away.

Poser unwrapped the tape and swung it after Ladybug. Ladybug continued to run as the measuring tape gathered a crowd. "Strike a pose for me!" Poser stopped it and it encircled the crowd, transforming their clothes and giving them a group pose.

"You can't keep running, Ladybug." Poser grinned. "I will catch you!"

She whipped the tape towards Ladybug, but Chat Noir's baton hit it up in the air.

"I don't think so." Chat Noir declared. "You've done enough for today."

"Thanks, Chat Noir." Ladybug panted as she walked up to him.

"Let's get this over with quickly, Ladybug. I was busy." Chat said, twirling his baton.

"Um . . . okay." Ladybug said, scrunching her eyebrows.

"Now listen stylist, modeler, whatever your stupid name is . . . " Chat walked towards her, using his hands as he talked.

"Chat . . . " Ladybug whispered.

"You really need to stop all this." Chat grinned. "See I know who you really are. And I also know that you were fired today because of your lousy styling skills and failure to do your job." He gave an unsympathetic smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Don't think you making a scene here now is going to get you your job back."

"Chat Noir!" Ladybug shouted "What's gotten into you?!"

"How dare you!" Poser shouted. "I am Poser and you have no idea what you're talking about! I was only fired because of that spoiled Agreste kid. That snob isn't even my boss. He just thinks he is."

"Huh." Chat laughed. "Yeah sure. You're just jealous. You're probably one of those people that have to wait till your birthday to get something you want. Just searching for money and attention." He shook his head.

"You'll pay for that Chat Noir!" Poser aggressively tossed the measuring tape.

"Yeah . . . sure." Chat Noir smiled and easily stepped out of the way.

"Chat!" Ladybug screamed, just barely dodging the attack. She fell to the ground. "Why would you do that?"

"Don't look at me, Ladybug. I'm not the villain here." Chat held his hands up. "Don't rely on me to be a knight in shining armor. We're both superheroes here, so you can fight on your own."

"That doesn't mean you put me in danger and we stop looking out for each other." Ladybug argued.

"Whatever, Bug." He rolled his eyes. "It's not like I need to be here."

"Yeah, you don't. But you're here anyway to do your job." Ladybug started to get angry. "All you've done so far is make our enemy angrier when you could've been calming her, but instead you made our job harder."

"You can't seriously be blaming me." Chat's ego was chipped. "This woman was wrong. She shouldn't be crying over the stupid things that got her fired. And she's probably only akumatized to get attention."

"That's so unlike you." She whispered. "You're not like this."

"Well news flash, Ladybug." Chat Noir put his hands on his cheeks. "You don't know me."

"Well if you aren't going to do your job, then just leave." Ladybug offered, crossing her arms.

"Fine." Chat put his hands in the air and gave a fake smile. "I will."

Chat Noir turned around and began to walk down the street. Ladybug shook her head in disbelief. She never thought Chat Noir would something like that. She watched as Chat Noir jumped up to the rooftops and vanished. She felt a tinge of guilt buried in her chest. It got worse, but Ladybug ignored the aching.

"Looks like the alley cat couldn't handle some criticism himself." Poser laughed. "Guess it's just you and me now." With a grin, she whipped her giant measuring tape in the air.

"That's okay. I don't need him." Ladybug panicked. "I'm Ladybug, the protector of Paris. I can handle an akuma on my own." Ladybug straightened up and picked up her yo-yo.

* * *

"Let's just wait for her to make a fool of herself." Adrien chuckled as he landed in his bedroom and detransformed. "She can't do this without me."

An angry Plagg flew out of Adrien's ring as he fell back on his couch. Adrien relaxed into the couch as Plagg floated in front of him.

"What do you think you're doing?" Plagg crossed his arms. Adrien opened one eye to look at him before closing it. "You can't just abandon Ladybug like that! You're partners."

"Calm down Plagg." Adrien opened his eyes and sat up. "You're probably just cranky because you want your stinky cheese." Adrien tossed the cheese at him, but Plagg kept his arms crossed and dodged it.

"This isn't about cheese." Plagg said in seriousness. "You need to go help Ladybug."

"Yeah. Well she doesn't agree with that." He said, putting his hands behind his head. "She even offered for me to leave her." Adrien smiled, believing he was right.

"That's not what matters. You're Ladybug and Chat Noir. You have a duty to protect Paris." Plagg reasoned. "No matter what, you never abandon your comrades."

"Oh well, Plagg. Looks like I just did." Adrien shrugged.

"I need to have a serious talk with Tikki about her holder." Plagg growled under his breath. "Or maybe Master Fu."

* * *

"You can't hide from me forever!" Poser declared as she prowled around the street.

Ladybug hid behind a wall, panting. She had ran through the street and fought, but still couldn't come closer to defeating Poser. Now all the frozen people that were modeling in the streets became obstacles in the way.

Ladybug crouched and quickly moved behind a nearby trashcan. She peered from behind it and saw Poser with her measuring tape out and ready for attack. She noticed that one end of the measuring tape had remained tied to her waist.

"Come out come out wherever you are, Ladybug." She taunted.

Ladybug stood up and pulled out her yo-yo. "Lucky Charm!" She shouted.

A pair of spotted scissors started to fall, but one of the models pushed ladybug over. Poser heard her shout and now knew her location. The frozen models suddenly began to move. Their arms looked robotic as they changed their poses. They gathered around Ladybug, holding her still by her shoulders.

"Hey! I didn't know you could do that!" Ladybug yelled.

Poser began to step forward. "I don't have to give you my whole bio when you see me, Ladybug." She chuckled.

Ladybug tensed, immediately regretting her fight with Chat Noir. She wondered if this enemy still had any unknown powers or secrets. She tried to move, but the models kept a firm grasp.

Poser smirked as she evilly strolled towards Ladybug.

"Maybe that Chat was right." Poser announced as she stopped walking. "He might've at least put up a better fight." She twirled the end of her measuring tape. "Guess I'll have to finish you." She sighed, giving a fake pout. "Too bad you were so easy. I wanted to have a little fun." Poser giggled before flinging her measuring tape towards Ladybug.

Ladybug struggled against the force of the models again, but had no success. The tape got closer and closer. Ladybug closed her eyes, knowing she couldn't win.

But she wasn't hit. Poser gasped as her measuring tape flung back, causing Ladybug to open her eyes at the sound.

Suddenly a black flash picked up the scissors and tackled the models, making them fall like mannequins. It pushed Ladybug out of the bunch and vanished before Ladybug could comprehend the situation.

"Wha-at just . . . " Ladybug mumbled, looking at the scissors in her hand. "What was that?" She questioned before remembering the situation.

Poser was falling back while her measuring tape was still flying through the air. Ladybug acted fast and threw the red spotted scissors. The scissors pinned the measuring tape to a wall. Poser hit the ground and pulled the measuring tape down with her, causing it to rip where the scissors stuck in it.

The akuma slowly flew out and Ladybug quickly grabbed her yo-yo.

"Time to deevilize!" Ladybug captured and released the akuma. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

The models unfroze and changed back to their regular selves. Ladybug paused in thought, thinking about before.

"Did Chat Noir come back?" Ladybug asked herself. "But if he didn't or . . . did . . . then . . . who was that?" She didn't know.

"Ladybug! Ladybug!"

Ladybug was brought out of her thought by a crowd of reporters.


	8. Chapter 8: Undercover Villain

Hope watched Marinette turn into Ladybug behind the bench. It made her smile as she happily clenched her fist. She admired the heroism of Ladybug and thought of herself as a hero too. She wished that they could work together on these missions, but they must stay apart.

Hope turned around and ran in the direction of the Agreste mansion. Once there, she abruptly stopped in front of the gates. She walked up to the gate and Natalie's small surveillance camera appeared from the wall.

"Who are you and why are you lurking outside the Agreste mansion?" Natalie narrowed her eyes at the rainbow haired girl on her computer screen. "I'm Helping Hands." Hope said blankly, holding up her dandelion ring to the camera. "I come with news for Haw-Gabriel." She corrected.

"Fine, I'll open the gates." Natalie said, pushing a button. "Remember not to come in through the front. You know the other way."

Hope gave a thumbs up at the camera before walking through the newly opened gates. She turned right and snuck to the side of the building where there were a bunch of huge shrubs. She passed between two to find a hidden door. Hope walked inside and closed the door tightly behind her to see dark stairs ahead that appeared endless. She walked up, using a glowing hand of hers for a light.

At the top was a black door that led to a hallway. Since she had been here before, she already knew the way to Hawkmoth's, or Gabriel's, secret office. Once walking through she saw Gabriel sitting at his desk with his head in his hands and an angry look.

Last time she was here, it was dark, but now she could clearly see everything. The room looked like a detectives with pictures of Ladybug and Chat Noir looking almost like criminals. The room had arrows and random facts scribbled next to posters and news articles. Some of the small printed out screenshots revealed that he was a Ladyblog subscriber. Hope wanted to burst out laughing at that, but she was here for business not jokes.

"What did you find?" Gabriel asked, lifting his head up.

"Uh . . . Mr. H-Hawkmoth . . . sir?" Hope stuttered nervously. "M-Mind if I ask you, but . . . h-how are you here right now? Ladybug just left because of an akuma attack. Shouldn't you be transfo-"

"I detransformed so I could hear the information that you were supposed to gather for me." He interrupted. "Depending upon what you say, my strategies might change. And I have an earpiece in so I can listen in on the fight." Hawkmoth said blankly, making eye contact. "What news have your brought me?"

That look sent shivers down Hope's spine. "While t-talking to Ladybug . . . I . . . " Hope debated for a moment. "I found out . . . that she's . . . a young girl. She's in high school."

"Hmmm. She's young. I can use her emotions against her. And Chat Noir's probably young too." Gabriel analyzed. "What a fool for him to lay such power in the hands of teenagers." He chuckled. "What else?"

Hope jumped. "Also . . . " She started. "There are many more miraculouses that are guarded by some old guy. And we don't know anything about him."

"Are you sure? Did you miss something? Did she mention anything else about him?" Gabriel persisted, leaning forward with his hands on the table and eyes wide.

"N-No." She stepped back. "Just that she doesn't know the man. She was selected at random to be Ladybug."

Gabriel sighed and sat back down in his chair. He had two fingers leaning against the side of his head.

"Is that all?" Gabriel asked in frustration.

"Y-Yes." Hope said, with her arms behind her back.

Gabriel noticed her new outfit change. She didn't look like an akuma anymore. Normal in fact. "Where did you get those clothes?" He asked.

"Oh . . . I made them." Hope looked down at her outfit. "I don't have any money and don't really have a place to stay, so I created my own outfit."

"It's quite good." Gabriel put his hand on his chin, thinking. "And it might just be a perfect addition to my newest line."

"Y-You want to use m-my designs?" She stuttered.

"Well I gave you these powers, so anything you create is from my miraculous and just as much mine." Gabriel added. "Plus, I need something new. A different image to match with my son's work."

"What do I get out of this?" Hope was skeptical. "I mean, I'm happy to do it and I enjoyed creating my outfits, but . . . what's in it for me?"

"If you continue to design and let me use your outfits for my new line, I'll let you model them. I think your look will be perfect when paired with my son in his pictures." Gabriel stood up and pulled out his wallet. He took a small picture of Adrien out of his wallet. "This is my son Adrien." He showed her the picture before tucking it back in his wallet.

"He's handsome." She commented, keeping what she knew to herself.

"Indeed. He's the pride of the Agreste company." Gabriel dug in his pocket again and held out a key. "If you agree to be in business, then I want you to stay here. I have several extra bedrooms in my mansion and it would make working for me easier."

"Really?" She questioned, taking the key.

"I'll have Natalie assist you with anything you-" Gabriel stopped and held his earpiece.

Natalie opened the other door and walked in. She saw Gabriel standing still.

"Mr. Agreste, what's wrong?" She asked, concerned.

Gabriel let go of his earpiece. "Chat Noir has left the battle. Ladybug is all alone."

"Oh thank goodness. I thought it was something serious." Natalie walked back to the door. "Well good luck Mr. Agreste." She led Hope out the door into another hallway.

"Thank-" Natalie slammed the door shut. "You . . . " Hope trailed off.

"Ladybug's alone." Hope thought. "What if she's in trouble?"

"Follow me." Natalie said, snapping her out of her thoughts as she walked down the hallway.

 ** **The Next Day:****

Hope's blinked her eyes open at the sunlight coming through the blinds in her room. She was still in the Agreste mansion, but in a guest bedroom. She hopped out of bed and ran across the room. Hope picked up a small mirror on the dresser and messed with her hair.

"What am I going to wear today?" She pondered, looking down a her light purple pajamas. "Hmmm . . . Ah! I know!"

Hope walked inside the tiny closet in the corner and discarded her clothes to a hanger. She came out with a new outfit on. It was a royal blue jean jacket and laced silver and white shirt that paired with a maroon pair of athletic pants and sneakers.

She looked in the small mirror that was on the dresser. She fluffed her rainbow locks before tying them back in a ponytail with a black hairband.

"Now." She smiled, skipping to the door. "Time to go help the neighborhood."

Hope opened the door to find Natalie standing in the hall.

"I thought I heard you get up." Natalie said as she stopped leaning against the wall. "Mr. Agreste would like you to meet his son and the photographer at the Eiffel Tower at eleven this morning for a photoshoot today." She looked at her clipboard. "Mr. Agreste would also like for you to wear your romper and style from yesterday."

"Okay." Hope agreed awkwardly.

She watched Natalie walk down the hall before she left in the opposite direction. She passed through the Hawkmoth office with stalking photos of Ladybug and Chat Noir and skipped down the long, dark staircase.

Hope ran away from the mansion and stopped once she was far away. She started walking down the street with her hands in her pockets, trying to appear normal.

"Noooo!" Cried a little girl.

Hope turned her head to see a little girl crying at the edge of the Seine. She walked over and saw an annoyed, older girl with her arms crossed, standing right next to the crying girl.

"Hey. What's going on?" Hope asked nicely.

"My big sister threw my bear in the water and now I can't get it." The girl cried, pointing at it.

Hope looked to see the stuffed bear floating twenty feet out on the river. She then looked to see the sister with her arms still crossed.

"Why would you do that?" Hope asked.

"Because she's always whining for me to carry it since she gets tired." The sister snapped. "If she had just left it at home, this wouldn't have happened."

"That doesn't mean you should throw it in the Seine. She's your sister." Hope reasoned. "Couldn't you just carry it?"

"No! That thing is so uncool. I can't be seen dragging around a toy like that!" She shouted. "Besides, she has enough stuff animals at home." The sister

crossed her arms again and frowned.

Hope knew she wasn't going to listen. She sighed and looked over at the little girl who still had tear drops on her cheeks. Hope crouched down next to her and smiled.

"Hey." Hope whispered. "You wanna know a secret?"

The little girl turned to her and wiped away her tears. Hope took her hand from her side and let in begin to glow in front of them. The little girl awed at the blue hand before her. Hope pointed her hand towards the stuffed bear that continued to drift away from the edge. With an even bigger smile she brought the bear to her hand in one swoop of her powers.

"Here you go." Hope handed the girl her bear.

Both girls stood gaping with their eyes wide. The older one uncrossed her arms and watched Hope closely.

"B-But . . . " The older one stuttered. "How did you do that?"

Hope stood up and turned to her.

"Shhhhh." Hope put a finger to her own lips. "It's a secret."

Hope looked at the little girl again and saw the bear dripping water on the pavement.

"Don't worry. I'll fix it." She said, putting her glowing hand on the bear, making the water vanish. The little girl gasped. Hope looked at the older one with another smile and her eyes closed. "Now next time, how about you be a good, big sister and carry the bear for her. Okay?"

The girl nodded in return, almost afraid.

"Now that's better." She patted their heads before leaving. The girls were left stunned.

* * *

Hope, now dressed in her purple romper, walked to the base of the Eiffel Tower for the photoshoot. Everyone was already waiting even though she was right on time. She saw Adrien impatiently waiting with his foot tapping.

"Finally you're here!" He exclaimed, uncrossing his arms.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I had to grab my outfit." Hope smiled sincerely. "And I've never been a model before, so I'm not used to this kind of schedule."

"Clearly." Adrien rolled his eyes. "We've been waiting eternity for you to show up. You're obviously nothing like a real model."

"Hey, you little snob!" Hope raged, holding out her fist. "I'm right on time, so if you're gonna complain, you can just suck it!"

"I'm not a snob." Adrien defended. "I'm honest. I mean . . . you don't even look like a model. And what's with your weird hair? Why's it rainbow? Are you-"

Hope was so infuriated you could almost see steam. "Don't you even say it! I'll shove my foot ri-"

"Okay! Okay." Natalie intervened. "We all have a job here. Let's just get it over with and you two can go your separate ways." Natalie gave a smile.

"I already can't stand this kid." Hope thought. "This better be quick."

* * *

Hope hummed as she closed the back door. She peacefully walked up the dark stairs of the Agreste mansion. She had had a good day helping everyone. Found a few strays, fed them and returned them to homes and she helped some kids.

Once reaching the top of the stairs, she saw the hall door was already opened, as was the butterfly room also. The Hawkmoth lair was never open. Hope pushed the door the rest of the way open with a small touch. The door creeped open to reveal Hawkmoth standing in the center of the room with his arms crossed. The mood sent shivers down her spine.

"Come in." His voice echoed.

Hope slowly stepped inside. "What's going o-"

"Why would you interfere with one of my akumas?" Hawkmoth interrupted.

"I-I" Hope stuttered. "Wh-What do you mean?"

"Don't think I didn't recognize you yesterday." Hawkmoth waved his finger in the air. "You wore a black cape, but I still saw you help Ladybug."

Hope froze, unsure of what to say.

"I could've had Ladybug's miraculous in my hand right now. I was this close to achieving my goals that I've had for years." He ranted. "But now . . . I have to continue my routine . . . again."

"I'm sorry." Hope hung her head low.

"Do you have an explanation for helping the enemy because I'd love to hear it." Hawkmoth's glared.

"No." Hope admitted shamefully.

"Your mission was to get intel from Ladybug, not become best friends with her. But since you've failed . . . " Hawkmoth put his hand on his chin. "You have a new mission."

"A new mission?" She questioned.

"Your job now is to take Chat Noir's miraculous. We can get Ladybug's later. She'll be easy." Hawkmoth announced, pacing the room as he thought.

"But sir!" Hope protested. "There's no attack. I'd have to search in the middle of the night for him."

"You'll do as you're told or I'll take your powers!" Yelled Hawkmoth. "You are indebted to me. I could take any power you have right now with the snap of my fingers and leave you as a helpless nobody."

"But-" She was stopped.

"You will become a monster at my control if your mission is a failure. If Chat Noir's ring is not in my hand by tomorrow, you will attack Paris." Hawkmoth grinned. "Any bit of kindness will be stripped from your soul and you will fight against your beloved heroes."

"Why must I be the one to fight?" Cried Hope. "Surely there are more powerful opponents in Paris."

"None as great of powers as yours. One of my greatest creations." Hawkmoth said, waving his hand in the air. "And if you refuse . . . if you refuse to even attempt to get his ring, I will take your powers away immediately."

Hope gasped as her eyes began to water. She truly had felt helpless before she was akumatized.

"I can't go back to that." She thought. "I'm finally happy. I'm not an ignored, little kid anymore. I can follow my dreams now." She shut her eyes tightly, not wanting to have to choose.

"Well?" Hawkmoth snapped her out of her thoughts. "Shall I take your powers now or-"

"No!" Hope shouted. Her voice was so harsh that it sounded like a growl. "I will not go back to that life!" She roared. Her green contacts shattered into the air as her flaming red eyes shot open. A few tears streamed down her face and some with the remains of her contacts that sparkled in the air as they fell to the floor. "I will not lose." Hope squeezed her fist tightly.

Hawkmoth grinned at the villain he created.

Hope proudly strolled into the hall before going to her bedroom.

"She still thinks she's the hero of the story." Hawkmoth chuckled.

* * *

 ** **Midnight at the Agreste Mansion:****

The door to Adrien's bedroom creeped open as a black figure snuck in. They tiptoed over to Adrien's bed and towered over him.

Adrien slept with his covers over him and one arm under his pillow. His hand with the ring laid next to his face on top of the pillow.

The figure lightly lifted Adrien's hand and slowly, but impatiently started twisting his white ring off of his finger. Adrien's eyes opened immediately and his hand jerked away in a fist. He pushed the figure away, causing their hood to fall off. Adrien stood and turned the light on in his room to see familiar rainbow hair.

"It's you." Adrien realized. "The girl from the photoshoo-"

"I see you never bothered to learn my name." Hope snarled, crossed her arms.

"Whatever! Why are you here and why are you trying to take my ring?" Adrien questioned, gripping his ring.

"I'm not here to answer your questions, rich kid." Hope announced as she untied her cape in one swoop and let it drop to the floor. "I just need that ring of yours." She grinned, staring into his soul.

Hope now wore a skintight black suit that looked like Ladybug's. Hers had an ombre purple, geometric butterfly in the center of her chest and had one on the front of each black tennis shoe.

Adrien stepped back, feeling her piercing red gaze. "Wha-What happened to your eyes?" Adrien fell back. "They used to be green. Now . . . they're red!"

She continued to approach him like prey. "I see you paid attention to that detail." She noted.

Adrien shook his head and put on a game face. "Plagg! Claws Out!" He called, awaking his kwami from a nap in his cheese drawer. Adrien transformed and spun his baton. "Well you won't get my ring that easy."

"Hmph." She chuckled. "Oh if only Hawkmoth knew who you were. He'd flip . . . but . . . a mission's a mission." She straightened up into a fighters stance.

"I didn't even know that Hawkmoth had minions." Chat laughed. "I hope you realize that your modeling job is over now. We Agrestes don't need monsters like you."

"Ha. Sure." Hope nodded, sarcastically. "I'm no minion, but you coming out with strange accusations that have no proof will only make you look worse. Unless . . . you tell your father that you're Chat Noir as well."

"Why don't we take this outside?" Chat suggested, sitting on the window ledge.

"Aw. Are you afraid of waking the nannies?" Hope fake pouted.

"You do want my ring, don't you?" Chat flashed the ring at her before leaping out the window.

Hope flared her nostrils before following.

Chat Noir raced across rooftops, leading her away from the mansion. Luckily there were less people out in the middle of the night to witness the brawl. Chat Noir stopped in the middle of the city and turned around to face her. The moonlight reflected off the rooftops and her red eyes, making them glow.

"So this is the battlefield you've chosen?" Hope crossed her arms. "What's so significant about this roof? I would've preferred your bedroom over this dark and cold metal. Although I didn't want a fight to start with." She rambled.

"You can always leave." Chat offered. "The exit is uh . . . anywhere."

"No thanks, alley Chat." She refused, scratching the back of her neck. "I really need that ring."

"And why is that, again?" Chat leaned on his extended baton to listen.

"That's none of your business." Hope made her left hand glow to form something.

"Just wanted to know since I'll never get to find out when I defeat you." Chat Noir leaned off of his baton.

"Don't get so cocky." Hope laughed. "I could destroy you with my powers. But I'm a fair person. I see that you are clearly outmatched, so I'll fight fair." The object fell in her hand.

Hope's hand had created a black, metal umbrella that had purple, blue and red Crystal's at the handle and point on the top. The umbrella sparkled in the light and the crystals showed brightly.

She twirled the parasol in her hand before placing in on her shoulder. "But even as we're even matched, don't think I'll be so easily defeated." She said, standing in a confident stance.

"We'll see about that!" Chat exclaimed as he ran straight towards her with his baton ready.

Hope smiled with a small giggle. She swung her umbrella in the air and flew a few feet above Chat Noir, completely dodging his attack.

She landed lightly on the rooftop with her feet silent. "Seems you still rush in too early, Chat." She said, turning to face him. "You must be the runt of all the Chat Noirs."

Chat Noir gritted his teeth. He ran in again but it only resulted the same with them now back to their original sides.

"Are you gonna keep this up the whole time?" Hope yawned, rubbing her eyes. "It's not even fun when it's this boring."

Chat was still mad, but took a deep breath instead. He opened his eyes and walked towards her.

"Oh. Some close combat." Hope awed. "Hmmm. Interesting." She grinned.

Once Chat Noir was five feet away, he jumped in the air with his baton in hand. Hope closed her umbrella in a swoop and darted under him in a flash. She flipped and kicked his leg to trip him, but Chat was ready and attempted a hit with his baton. The baton collided with the umbrella as they were both skilled fighters.

"Seems you're actually putting in some effort now." Hope smiled.

Chat Noir moved his foot to trip her and she fell back with Chat Noir on top. Hope kept her umbrella in front of her and defended another swing of his baton.

"Seems like your the one not putting in enough effort." He smirked as he towered over her and pushed his baton closer to her neck.

"Oh please." She shook her head and kicked him off of her. Hope bounced up with her umbrella pointed at him as he now laid on the ground. "You're pitiful."

"Uh." Chat grunted as he lifted himself off the ground. "Cataclysm!" He shouted.

Chat Noir pressed his hand against the roof and watched it deteriorate. Hope stumbled on the broken pieces before falling over the edge. Chat jumped down to the street below. Hope laid on her back from the fall. She clutched her parasol, about to fight, but Chat stomped his boot on it. He kicked the parasol out of her hand and pressed his extended baton under her chin.

"Now tell me . . . what do you want with my ring?" Chat glared, pushing his one foot harder against her wrist.

Hope winced from the pain in her wrist. She struggled against the baton's pressure that nearly choked her, but had no luck.

"For the last time . . . no!" She roared, her eyes flashing a frightening, glowing crimson.

Hope lifted her free hand with a glow and grabbed ahold of the baton's end. Chat used all his strength to keep it against her, but her power only grew. The baton slowly lifted from her chin as Hope gritted her teeth in anger. With both forces exerting all their strength, the baton suddenly cracked. The sound of it breaking shocked Chat Noir, making him stop. He stumbled back, holding his baton that now had a giant crack on the side.

"You . . . you cracked it." Chat Noir gaped. "It's unbreakable."

Hope picked herself up off the ground with a manacle grin, her fire eyes, glimmering in the moonlight.

"I told you." She panted, stumbling to get her balance. "You are no match for me."

Hope watched as he took a few steps back, but stopped to not run into a window. There was only one house in the neighborhood with their lights still on.

"Coward!" Hope shouted. "You can't run, Chat Noir!" She sauntered over to her umbrella and picked it up.

Hope laughed before noticing one side of the curtains open in the far window. A woman looked out to see what the commotion was. Hope wondered what she was doing up so late. It was probably almost one in the morning and everyone else is asleep. The woman gasped upon seeing the two. Then she made eye contact with Hope.

"What's that woman looking at?" She mumbled.

Chat Noir turned to see the woman in the window next to him. The woman mouthed some words at her, but she couldn't read them.

"What the?" Hope's eyes widened as she understood. "Hope? She said Hope." She analyzed.

"Yeah. So?" Chat asked, looking at her. "Why's that so important?"

"She knows . . . " Hope whispered to herself.

Hope took a few steps forward to look closely before recognizing the woman. Her and the woman stared at each other for a moment like no one else was around.

"A mother never forgets her daughter I guess." Hope mumbled as she wiped away a few tears with her fist.

The woman moved away from the window and the curtain shut.

"I can't fight here." Hope panicked. Her eyes twitched as she focused on what seemed to be slow motion turning of the doorknob. Hope looked all around at her surroundings. "How could I have forgot my street? How could I not recognize such things?"

Hope held her head in her hands, digging her nails into her scalp. Chat Noir noticed her freaking out and walked away from the house wall. He looked at her confused before seeing the crack in his baton again, reminding him of her power.

"I gotta get out of here." Hope lifted her head up and opened her parasol.

"Huh." Chat Noir chuckled, making her turn her head. "So you're quitting I see." He smiled with his arms crossed. "I guess you were all talk. Nothing but lies." Chat shook his head.

"Chat Noir." She growled, spinning her umbrella before pointing it at him. "You'll pay!"

The dark red crystal at the top of her umbrella started glowing and blasted a laser beam at Chat Noir. If Chat Noir hadn't had quick reflexes he'd be headless. The beam skimmed his cheek and took out a lamppost behind him, darkening the street corner. Chat Noir held the wound on his cheek as he watched her walk away. He knew he shouldn't go after her. She'd kill him.

Hope left Chat Noir on the sidewalk and her saddened mother at her own doorstep.

"No going back now I guess." She looked down at the ground, disappearing into the night's darkness.

* * *

 **So the reason I have uploaded so many parts at once is because I was transferring them from my other accounts from other sites. I will definitly be continuing this story, but now that I've uploaded the previous parts, it'll be slower. I hope to have the next part done within a week.**

 **-Alice Pink**


	9. Chapter 9: Friendships

****The Night Before the Dance:****

"Hmmm." Marinette pursed her lips and put her fist under her chin while she looked at her open closet. "What kind of dress should I wear, Tikki?" Marinette tilted her head and asked her kwami.

"You look best in red." Tikki answered, entering her wardrobe.

"Are you saying that because red is supposed to be the most attractive color or because I'm ladybug and you're the ladybug Kwami?" Marinette smiled.

Tikki poked her head out of the hanging clothes. "I personally am a big fan of red since I'm the Ladybug kwami, but red does look best on you."

Marinette went into her closet and pulled out one. "How about this one, Tikki?" Marinette held a shiny, silk dress that was knew length. It was tight, short sleeves, and was like a skater skirt at the bottom.

"It's beautiful." Tikki gasped. "It's perfect for you."

"Okay, Tikki." Marinette smiled. "This one it is then." Marinette hung the dress's hanger on the corner of her mirror and walked back to her closet. "And I'll wear these shoes." Marinette pulled out a pair of burgundy converse shoes.

"Um, Marinette?" Tikki asked, looking at her weirdly. "Shouldn't you wear heels with that kind of dress?"

"Yeah, that's a no go for me." Marinette put the shoes next to the mirror. "I would prefer to keep my feet on the ground and my face off the sidewalk."

Tikki chuckled, flying out of the closet. "Just stay away from any stairs or groups of people. You have two left feet no matter what shoes you wear."

"Ha ha. Very funny." Marinette looked at her kwami sarcastically unamused.

* * *

"What!" Marinette shouted and jumped out of bed, tripping over the side with her feet still on top of the covers. "What is . . . it?" She yawned as she sat back up. Marinette patted for her phone and found it by one of her pillows. She turned it on and checked the time. "1:27 . . . " She grumbled, smoothing her bangs out of her eyes. "Why . . . " Marinette rubbed her eyes and turned on the phone's flashlight. "Ah!" She screamed, blinding herself with it. "Oh my, it's too early for this!"

Marinette shined the flashlight on her covers and around her bed. She was tiredly searching, but didn't know what for.

"Why am I awake?" She groaned. "Ugh!" Marinette fell back on her pillow and closed her eyes. "Maybe I'm just going crazy . . . " She yawned. "But . . . at least I can . . . sleep." She drifted off, but felt it again. "Aha! I knew it!"

Marinette bolted up and covered her ears with her hands. She felt the spotted studs buzz against her palms again.

"Who's calling Ladybug at this hour?" Marinette stood on her bed, slightly bouncing on the mattress. "I swear if Chat Noir's playing some joke, I will pummel him!" Marinette hit her fist on her hand. "Sorry Tikki, but . . . spots on." She whispered.

Tikki flew into the earrings, with confusion scrambled all over her face. Once transformed, Marinette opened her yo-yo and went to her messages.

"Ladybug! Watch out for your miraculous! I was just attacked!" Chat panted as his voice echoed through the darkened room. "I was attacked by a woman. I don't know her name. She wanted my miraculous. She knows where I live and tried to take my ring while I was asleep." Ladybug listened closer. "I'll be fine. Don't come after me. That might draw her out again. Just stay low and keep your power hidden."

The message ending. Ladybug closed her yo-yo.

"Chat Noir, what have you gotten us into?" She groaned, looking up. "Lucky Charm!" She called weakly.

A tube of super glue fell into hands. Ladybug undid the cap and put glue on the underside and back of each earring. She pressed the earrings against her skin and felt the glue harden. Ladybug put the tube on a shelf next to her bed and laid back on her pillows.

"They ain't getting my miraculous now." She laughed to herself. "Spots off."

A frantic Tikki came out of the earrings, full of questions. "Marinette! What was tha-"

"Shhhhhh . . . " Marinette closed her eyes and pushed her finger to Tikki's mouth. "Let's forget about that for now. Go to sleep . . . " She laid her head back on the pillow.

"But Marinette! Why did you transform?" Tikki pestered.

"I don't know. Dreamt it. Hallucination. I'm crazy. Something like that." Marinette rambled excuses. "Let's forget it and sleep now."

"Bu-" Tikki stopped herself. Marinette was already snoozing. Tikki let out a loud sigh.

* * *

"Come on, Marinette." Alya begged with impatience.

"Yeah, let's see the dress." Rose added.

"Show us already." Mylene agreed.

Rose, Juleka, Mylene, Alix, and Alya sat on and around the chaise in Marinette's room. They all were dressed up and ready for the dance, but were waiting for Marinette.

Marinette stepped out her closet, clad in her smooth red dress and converses. She twirled before her friends as they gasped.

"So . . . what do you think?" She smiled.

"I think it's perfect for you!" Alya awed at how amazingly it fit her friend.

"So pretty!" Rose squealed, leaning into Juleka.

"Like the shoes." Alix commented. She was wearing sneakers herself instead of heels with her dress.

"Thanks." Marinette's cheeks pinkened from all the compliments.

"Okay, okay. We're already late." Alya calmed them down. "Is that it or do you have any other magical surprises for us?"

"Uh . . . no." Marinette said, thinking. "Wait . . . my dad made us some macaroons. If you consider those magical."

"Um yeah." Alix immediately stood up, making her white dress twirl with her hand motions. "What are you talking about? Food is always magical."

"Oh, what flavor are they?" Rose spoke up. "I love strawberry. I sure hope you have some."

"I don't know. We have a lot of flavors." Marinette shrugged. "But they're downstairs, so we can see when we're down there."

"Yo, come on girls. Let's go get some of these macaroons." Alix held up a fist like she was leading an army.

"Yeah." They cheered and piled themselves through the trapdoor.

"Well." Alya said, putting her hand on Marinette's shoulder. "At least we're closer to getting out the door. Don't wanna keep Nino waiting any longer."

Alya patted her shoulder and left through the trap door. Marinette followed.

Once in the bakery, Marinette saw that the girls were already knee deep in macaroons.

"Guys. You do know that they have food at the dance, right?" Marinette asked, closing the back door behind her.

"But nothing comes close to beating your family's baking, Marinette." Mylene smiled.

"Alright, alright. Let's go." Marinette ushered them out the door.

"Aww." They said in unison.

* * *

By the time the group of girls got to the dance, there was already a large crowd of people with the music blaring.

"Ew. There's so many people." Juleka muttered in a deep voice.

"Oh, come on, Juleka." Rose cheered, grabbing her arm. "Let's go dance."

Marinette left the group to get a drink from the food table. She poured herself a glass of some blue punch and looked up to see Alya taking pictures with Nino. Alya and Nino were wearing a matching emerald dress and suit. Alya's dress was long and ended at her ankles. Her dress had a heart line at the top and had plastic gems sewn on. Nino's suit was the same color with a lighter color tie.

The two of them were standing in front of the backdrop with props as the photographer scratching his head. Marinette moved closer to listen.

"Nino!" Alya complained. "You gotta get a better angle!"

"I still don't know what that means." Nino said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Okay." Alya grabbed his chin. "You gotta turn your head at the right angle to make the picture better. If I'm leaning towards you, you should do the same. If we're taking a selfie and I'm looking straight at the camera, you should too. Camera angle is important too. It-"

"I'm getting really confused." Nino admitted.

Alya tilted his head at an angle. "Just stay like that." She commanded.

Alya fixed their position and Nino awkwardly smiled as the photo was taken. After the flash, Alya ran up to the camera and grabbed the picture.

"Not bad, Nino. You finally had the right angle." Alya commented, nodding her head. "We just gotta fix your smile now."

Nino sighed and hung his head. Marinette chuckled and shook her head. Alya was crazy, but she knew Nino loved her.

Marinette sipped some of her punch when she turned her head and suddenly noticed Chloe and Adrien dancing in the center of the room. Marinette froze and focused on the couple. She couldn't take her eyes off of them. It was as though the dance floor was empty and a giant spot light shown on them.

Chloe wore a tight, black pencil dress with gray, plaid heels. Adrien wore a regular black and white tuxedo.

Marinette blinked, realizing she was gripping her glass a bit too tightly. She looked back at them and saw Chloe lean against Adrien as a slow song came on. Marinette's eye twitched with emotion.

"Why am I staring?" Marinette mumbled, closing her eyes to stop. "Why do I feel this way? Am I . . . am I jealous? No." Marinette's eyes shot open in almost a glare towards the two. "I couldn't be jealous of Chloe."

She continued to watch them from the snack table, barely blinking. Chloe looked up at Adrien, slowly moving closer. Just when she was inches from his face, Marinette turned away and walked to the girls bathroom.

Marinette stormed through the door and walked up to one of the sink mirrors. She put her hands on each side of the sink and angrily looked closely at her reflection. Marinette lifted her hands and immediately removed both of her hair ties. Her short hair swung against her shoulders and she fluffed it out. Marinette looked down at her red dress. Her dress was much longer than Chloe's whose was just past her fingertips. Marinette's dress went down to the bottom of her knees.

Marinette gripped the edges of the bottom and suddenly tore it. She tore a slit in the side up to her midthigh. She let go and the fabric went back to its wavy pattern, making the slit barely noticeable. Marinette looked in the mirror before leaving.

"What does Adrien see in Chloe anyway?" She asked herself as she picked her drink back up.

"Marinette!" Someone called.

Marinette turned around to see Chloe shuffling towards her in her heels. Marinette's eyes opened wide and her cup slipped out of her hand.

"Marinette-oh!" Chloe stopped herself in front of the new puddle made from Marinette's drink. "What happened?" She asked, looking up at her.

"Nothing." Marinette said, her eyes still wide. "Just . . . slipped." Inside she was screaming.

"Oh . . . well okay." Chloe said awkwardly. "Anyway." She changed the subject. "Let's go take some pictures." Chloe grabbed Marinette's arm and led her over to the backdrop.

"You want a picture with me?" Marinette asked, confused.

"Of course." Chloe smiled. "I want a picture with each one of my friends."

They stood in front of the backdrop and Chloe eyed her dress.

"I like your dress." Chloe said, noticing the slit. "Although this slit could use some stitching. Its got frayed edges and loose threads all over it." She noted, pulling a long strand.

"Well it's new. I . . . didn't really think about what I was doing." Marinette sighed.

"It's looks cute though, so it's nothing too big to worry about." Chloe smiled and stood up. "Besides, it'll look great in the pictures."

Chloe put her arm around Marinette and kept the other one on her hip. Marinette, who had never taken a picture with Chloe before, was surprised by her friendliness.

"Smile." Chloe said through her teeth as she gave the photographer a thumbs up.

Marinette complied and smiled at the camera. The camera flashed, but Chloe didn't move after it was taken. Marinette was about to move, but Chloe pulled her back.

"Take two please." She told the photographer.

They smiled again and took another picture. Afterwards, Chloe ran up to the camera and grabbed the two pictures.

"One for you and one for me." She declared, handing Marinette one.

Marinette quietly took the photo and looked at it. Her smiled may not have been the best, but Chloe's . . . was pure happiness. Marinette had never seen her this joyful and it wasn't in a revengeful or evil way. Chloe was legitimately happy and wanted to take a picture with her. She wanted to be nice to everyone. She wasn't trying to get something or beat somebody. This Chloe wanted others to live peacefully without hate. This Chloe was . . . different. And Marinette now saw that.

"I know why Adrien wants to date you." Marinette mumbled. "I just wish . . . the real you was this nice and friendly."

"What?" Chloe asked, scrunching her eyebrows. "What are you mumbling? I can't understand you."

"Thank you." Marinette looked up at her. "I'll keep the picture."

"Well I'd hope so." Chloe smiled. "Now . . . I'll see you later." Chloe waved as she slowly started backing away. "Like I said, I want to get a picture with each of my friends."

Marinette waved back before putting the picture in her purse. She walked over to a table and sat down. Marinette pulled her two red ribbons out of her purse and held them in her hands. She sighed before tying them both back in, creating her two signature pigtails again.

Marinette got up and went over to the food table. She was so frustrated before that she didn't even notice her stomach growling. One of the servers handed her a piece of pepperoni pizza and she smiled back.

Marinette took a bite and turned to leave when she bumped into a tall, white figure. She looked up from the pizza slice to see Adrien standing in front of her. He was no longer wearing his suit jacket and his white shirt showed bright, probably brand new.

"Oh." Marinette said, taking a step back, not recognizing the blue puddle at her feet. "Sorry." She apologized.

"Funny bumping into you at a dance, Marinette." He smiled, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Heh. Why?" She asked with a small laugh.

"Because you're so shy and unpopular. It's bold of you too to come to a social place like this." Adrien answered, staring at her. "But you seem different today."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Marinette questioned. Her eyebrows scrunched as her shoulders tensed.

"Nothing. Just . . . the new change is nice . . . and I like it." Marinette stepped back at his words. "This dress is pretty and earlier when you had your hair down, it was better than these . . . pigtails." He said, eying her hairstyle.

Marinette's eyes widened a bit and she brush off his hand. "I'm still the same person. My "change" is just my clothes. I'm still the same Marinette."

"Nah. There's definitely something new about you." He shook his pointer finger and smiled at her. "I know you're different from before." He took a step forward.

Marinette put her hands on his chest to push him back, but the force caused her to slip in the blue puddle at her feet and fall on top of him. They both laid on the ground with Marinette's head on his chest.

"See. I knew you liked me." Adrien smiled, looking down at her.

Marinette quickly picked her head up and looked into his eyes for a split second before immediately picking herself off of him. He chuckled and sat up while she brushed herself off. Marinette picked up her plate of pizza that was now on the floor. She thought she should at least clean up her second mess.

"Ew. That food's greasy." Adrien spoke disgustedly. "Leave it there for someone else to clean up." Marinette shot him a glare and he followed her to the trashcan. "Aw, come on. Why are you being this way? I know you like me." He grinned at her.

"You have a girlfriend." Marinette started.

"That shouldn't stop you." He replied.

Marinette stopped walking and turned to him. "Your suck a jerk. You don't deserve the new Chloe." She raged, smashing her plate of pizza to the front of his shirt.

"Hey! What was that for?!" Marinette smeared the plate on him before throwing the plate and creamed slice in the trash. "New Chloe? Denying your love for me? Freaking out like that? What's wrong with you?!" Adrien looked disgustedly down at his shirt.

"You know what . . . I don't know." Marinette admitted as she looked at the ground, saddened. "And I'm gonna find out, but . . . I need the old you back first."

Marinette turned around, leaving a confused Adrien behind as she ran. She sprinted out of the school and stopped at a street corner.

"Now where can I find her?" Marinette panted. "I'll have to transform." She slipped behind a wall and called out to her kwami. "Tikki, spots on!"

Once transformed, she started walking down the street, frantically calling Hope's number on her yo-yo.

"Come on!" She gritted her teeth, dialing again. "Pick up already!"

"Oh Ladybug." A vicious chuckle creeped through the air. "If only someone was willing to help you."

Ladybug slowly removed he yo-yo from being pressed against her ear and turned around. Before her stood Hope with an evil grin plastered on her face. Her aura and appearance had changed significantly from before. She now wore a starburst red, sleeveless, dress that went too her fingertips and had a slit on each side. She wore black, biker shorts and a fishnet, long sleeve shirt under the dress. Hope wore black, heeled ankle boots and wore her rainbow hair in two Dutch braids. Ladybug noticed her also carrying an umbrella and that her eyes were no longer green, but red. And she didn't like the look in them.

"You're different." Ladybug stated the obvious.

"Aren't we all." She smiled, twirling her umbrella.

Hope skipped past with her extended umbrella on her shoulder. She looked like a pure-hearted damsel instead of a villain, but she had the grin of a monster.

"You should come with me, Ladybug." Hope offered, stopping four feet from Ladybug with her back turned. "We could have some real fun in this town."

"No. And what do you mean by fun?" Ladybug asked.

Hope looked over her shoulder at her. "Guess you're not interested." She kept walking.

"Wait what. Huh? No." Ladybug caught up and ran in front of her. "I just need you to reverse this curse."

"Curse." Hope scrunched her eyebrows. "I didn't curse you. You made a wish."

"Yeah, okay. Whatever. That doesn't matter!" Ladybug waved her hands. "I need you to reverse it. This didn't turn out how I wanted and I want things back the way they used to be. Can you please fix it?"

Hope closed her eyes and pretended to think about it before deciding. "Hmmm . . . no." She answered and walked around Ladybug.

"No? What do you mean "no"? You help people." Ladybug looked back at her, confused. "That's the whole reason why you helped me. You're Helping Hands . . . we're friends."

Hope stopped in her tracks again. "Friends? Is that what you think we are?" She asked.

"Well . . . yeah." Ladybug answered honestly. "We helped each other. I let you continue helping people with your powers and that included me."

"Hmmm." She pondered. "I guess, but . . . we were nothing more than hero and foe." Hope said blankly. "We could never be friends while on opposite pages."

"Opposite pages?" Ladybug questioned. "But we're both heroes at heart. We just have different power sources."

"Not anymore. I'm no longer like you, but I guess . . . I never was." Hope admitted. "I will one day though. But I must first be a villain before my soul can be cleansed. I need more power. I must fulfill one last person's wish first."

"Who?" Ladybug became worried about the awaited answer.

"You don't already know?" Hope looked over her shoulder again with a grin. "Why Hawkmoth of course."

"No . . . " Ladybug gasped.

Hope gave an amused chuckle at that as her piecing red gaze frightened Ladybug.

* * *

 ** **Would have updated sooner, but bad internet. Hope ya like it anyway. ;)****

 ** **-Alice Pink****


	10. Chapter 10: What a True Hero is Part 1

**A/N**

 **Sorry for the late update. Lots of stuff kept me busy, especially school starting, vacation, and getting sick. I wanted to upload both of these parts together and I had finished the first a lot faster, but I waited. I'm a huge procrastinator and the absolute worst at writing fight scenes, so I surprised myself with how I wrote. Hope you like these chapters anyway. :)**

 **-Alice Pink**

* * *

"No . . . " Ladybug gasped.

Hope gave an amused chuckle as her piecing red gaze frightened Ladybug.

Ladybug clenched her fist. "But why would you-"

"I can't lose this power." Hope interrupted. "I will follow the boss's orders as long as I remain this way. I have no intention to return to my previous life and frankly I can hardly remember it anymore. The longer I'm happy here, the less I know." Hope looked off in thought. "But I never forget the pain . . . "

"So your solution is to create even more pain?" Ladybug asked, trying to understand the girl.

"No." Hope said, still in thought. "I want to create a world of peace. One where no one has to live through hate and hardships."

"But-"

"And for me to fully accomplish that goal, I must first gain yours and Chat Noir's miraculouses." She clenched a fist and smiled at Ladybug.

"Wait . . . " Ladybug gasped. "Were you the one who tried to take Chat Noir's miraculous? The one who attacked him last night?"

"Well who else would it be? I have the power to read people's lives." She said, shaking her head at Ladybug. "Too bad I didn't get it, but I guess I'll just have to get yours first." Hope held her umbrella in the air above her head.

"You don't have to do this. You can stop." Ladybug reasoned.

"But I must and I will." Hope said as she started to rise into the air, gripping the curved handle of her parasol. "But don't worry Ladybug, I won't steal it from you. You will hand it over or lose it in battle."

"And why would I just hand it over?" Ladybug gritted, crossing her arms. "I protect this power with my life. It's not something to give up so easily."

"I've been ordered to get your miraculous, but I'll make you give it up. You can either surrender it to me and I'll stop this attack for now, or . . . you can lose it in battle and nothing will change." Hope grinned, flying higher as she looked down at the street below. "People of Paris!" She bellowed, catching their attention. "Your beloved heroes, Ladybug and Chat Noir, have hidden great power from you. They have kept it from you and because of this, you've been attacked by horrendous monsters."

"What? Huh?" They all looked at each other before turning to Ladybug.

"She's lying!" Ladybug warned. "She's just a pawn of Hawkmoth's."

"No. I'm not a pawn!" Hope denied. "But aren't you one, Ladybug?" She cocked her head to the side. "After all, Hawkmoth draws you out to protect the city. He knows you won't abandon the people and ends up using you and the people in an attempt to get the miraculouses."

Ladybug looked down at the pavement with her arms at her sides.

"You're not wrong." Ladybug mumbled. "Afterall . . . look where I am . . . again."

"Don't worry, citizens. I'll protect you better than Ladybug and Chat Noir." Hope ensured. "I'll help you. You'll all be free . . . " She trailed off.

Hope gave Ladybug a smile before spinning her umbrella at the citizens. After, she aimed the tip of her parasol and started blasting the Parisians. They stumbled back from the hit, looking dazed. Hope held it over her again after hitting them all.

"What did you do?!" Ladybug whipped her head around, demanding an answer.

"I've freed them." Hope said, blankly.

The people remained still as their pupils sudden grew large. A pulselike sound beat through the air as each of their pupils enlarged to the finished size. Their eyes seem to sparkle as each of them sprung a childlike, joyful smile. One woman turned to girl next to her and played with her long hair.

"Oh my gosh." She awed dumbly. "Your hair's so pretty."

"Huh!" Another gasped, running over to the girl, touching her hair as well. "Yeah. Yeah. It is."

More possessed people ran over to the woman and creepily pet her hair like children. Their eyes shined and their mouths hung open as they brainlessly acted and spoke.

"Oh my." A girl touched the shirt of the man next to her. "I love this fabric." She felt it between her fingers.

"I know. This is so comfortable." The man cheered back. "I love it too."

"I love this trashcan!" Shouted another man as he hugged the bin. "Such a pretty green." He rubbed the side.

"You didn't free them." Ladybug contradicted Hope. "You turned them into zombies."

"No. I've helped them." She insisted. "I've freed their minds from any drama, stress, or conflict. They can now live happily and accepting of everyone and everything." Hope looked at Ladybug. "Isn't it peaceful?"

"No!" Ladybug insists. "You're robbing them of their personalities, their identities, their lives . . . they aren't who they should be."

"And who are you to decide who they should be?" Hope asked. She pressed her finger to her lips with her thumb on her chin and tilted her head. "I just simply let them decide for themselves without hurting each other."

Ladybug glared daggers. "Why you-"

"You have a choice to make, Ladybug." Hope slowly backed up in the air. Ladybug watched her. Hope winked her right eye with a sparkle and smiled at Ladybug. With her umbrella above her head, she flew away.

* * *

Ladybug leaned against a building wall and slid down to the bottom. She thumped on the ground and let out a stressed sigh. She looked at Chat Noir's contact on her yo-yo that was open, but she didn't press the call button. Ladybug's thumb hovered over the button, but was too unsure to ever press it.

"Should I . . . call Chat Noir?" Ladybug asked herself before putting her head down.

There were many pros and cons of calling him, but both would include an explanation that she didn't have. Ladybug's thumb shook over the screen. There was no guarantee that she would reach him and if she did dial, she wasn't really good at leaving voicemails anyway. But were these legitimate reasons? She thought to herself. Or were they all just excuses to avoid the painful truth? She didn't know and most importantly, he didn't know.

"I didn't do my job and got us into this mess." She sighed and buried her head in her knees while snapping her yo-yo shut. "No. I wont. He'll probably hate me." Ladybug got quieter. "If he doesn't already."

"Now how could I hate someone like you?" A familiar voice asked. Ladybug gasped and looked up to see Chat Noir smiling with his hand outstretched towards her. "It'd be a shame to hate the one I love."

"Chat Noir!" She excitedly sprang up and wrapped her arms around him, tears welling in her eyes. "I missed you." Ladybug buried her face in his chest and he loosely hugged her back.

"How could you miss me? I'll never leave you, Ladybug." Chat looked down as she looked up at him. "I'm always beside you, here to hold your hand."

"But . . . I sent you away." Ladybug cried. "I wished you to leave me alone and your love for me died with the old you. You should hate me right now!" She hit her first against his chest, but her strength left and her hand slid down the fabric of his suit.

"But I will never hate you." He lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes. "For I . . . have always loved you."

Ladybug wiped the tears from her cheeks before lightly pushing him away, sniffling. "Too bad you're not real." She said depressingly.

"The me before you may not be . . . but my feelings for you always have been." Chat Noir smiled and held his hand out to her as he slowly started to disappear. "Don't you remember?"

Chat Noir disappeared, but so did everything around them. Ladybug looked confused, but had sadness written on her face. The environment around her transformed to the Bourgeois hotel. She saw Chat Noir, but not just him, but Ladybug also. She was watching herself.

"Stay!" Chat Noir insisted as he grabbed her arm. "I won't tell anyone who you are. Chat's honor."

"Nobody must know who we really are. Not even us." Ladybug turned away and closed the closet door behind her.

The door was left open a crack and the flash of her miraculous could be seen. Chat Noir hesitated, but finally closed the door fully. The real Ladybug witnessed the pained look on his face as he ran out of the hotel room.

"I never realized I hadn't shut the door completely." Ladybug gasped. "He could've peaked at any time. He could've saw my face, but . . . he shut it for me." She looked down. "He let me go."

With a swoop of the scenery, the area changed again. Wind blew her hair around her face as Dark Cupid zoomed by. The Ladybug in front of her hung over the rooftop by her yo-yo string.

"Falling for me already, my lady?" Chat Noir grinned up at her while balancing on his baton that was stuck in the side of the building. "I need to talk to you." He said, reaching out to her.

"It's going to have to wait. Dark Cupi-" Ladybug started, but Chat Noir pressed his finger against her lips and shushed her. Her eyes went wide in surprise.

"I swore to myself that I'd tell you as soon as I saw you." He began. "Ladybug, I-I-look out!"

Chat turned her around and took the hit from Dark Cupid. His lips turned black as he started to get taken over by the enemy.

"I remember that." The real Ladybug said, watching the scene before her. "I wonder what he was going to say."

"Really?" Chat Noir asked with a laugh. He leaned against a wall with his arms crossed.

"Chat Noir!" She gasped, turning to him. "You're back!"

He shrugged. "Like I said, I'm always here."

"You're really dense if you don't know what I was going to say by now." Chat chuckled. "Do I need to spell it out for you."

"I love you." She sighed. "That's what you were going to say."

"I tried to tell you or at least show you several times." Chat Noir walked up to her. "But I never got the chance to say it."

"I never let you." Ladybug countered, shaking her head before smiling. "But you did today."

"No." Chat Noir held up a finger. "You know I'm not the real one." He looked down and a red flower formed in his hands. "I'm a creation from your memories. The real me hasn't been given the chance."

Ladybug scrunched her eyebrows. "Who created you?" She asked, confused.

Chat Noir grabbed her yo-yo out of her hand and showed it to her. With the yo-yo open, she could see her reflection in the mirror. Ladybug thought nothing of it, but then she saw it.

"What?!" Ladybug blinked a few times, but it remained there, unchanged. She tried turning her head and checking from different angles but it looked like it was a part of her. Ladybug then remembered Hope winked at her before leaving. She had had the same red sparkle in her eye when she did.

"Hope did this?" Ladybug concluded. "But why? And . . . how?"

Chat Noir shrugged his shoulders. "Beats me. She did something. I don't know what, but I'm not the real one."

"Maybe you're here to help me." Ladybug thought aloud as she put her yo-yo at her side. "Maybe these memories are supposed to help me to realize or remember something." Ladybug put her fist under her chin. "Or maybe you're here to distract me." She thought again.

"Possibly, but . . . I'm not sure. I don't entirely know why I'm here." He informed. "All I know is that I appeared before you, wanting to show you three of your memories. I don't know the purpose or reason why. It's basically some unknown mission for me."

"Three of my memories?" Ladybug laughed. "Are we in the Christmas Carol?"

"I'm not sure what this is, but like you said, I might be here to help you remember something." Chat Noir said, scratching the back of his head. "Well . . . I appeared here when you imagined I'd hate you and I had three specific memories in mind, so that gives us some clues."

"Wait. What's the third memory?" Ladybug asked.

"I guess I should show you that too." He looked down at the flower still his hands.

With the scene around them finally setting with a candlelit rooftop, Ladybug recognized it immediately. It was the date Chat Noir had planned when they fought Glaciator. Suddenly Ladybug found her mouth moving to form words all on its own.

"Listen, I don't wanna play around with your feelings. It would be the same as lying to you. I don't wanna do that." She began. "You're more than a partner, Chat Noir. You're my friend. And I'd never wanna lie to a friend."

Even though Ladybug knew these lines and she had said and meant them before, they felt different. They seemed harsher than before. Maybe it was her better understanding of both feelings. It didn't feel right either way.

"Why do you think it'd be lying?" Chat asked.

"Because there's this boy I . . . " She began.

Chat Noir stared into her eyes, giving her a different feeling than before. "There's a boy? Who is . . . "

Ladybug turned away from his piercing gaze. "It's-i can't tell you who it is. We can't know anything about each other." She began, but this time she felt a little broken by her words. "Our identities must remain a secret." Ladybug recognized that sentence that she's uttered many times. "We're both superheroes, Chat Noir. We don't have a choice . . . " That last sentence echoed in her head.

Chat Noir moved closer, making her blush. He handed her the rose, which she nervously took.

"I get it, Ladybug. Your friendship means everything to me." He spoke kindly before kissing her cheek. "You can keep the rose. It goes with your costume."

Ladybug was stunned for a moment as Chat Noir left. Her blush still painted her face as she remembered their moment. She looked back and watched him leap across the rooftops. Ladybug had a new feeling inside her as she looked down at the flower she was twirling between her fingers.

"Thank you, Chat Noir." Ladybug turned to the ghost one behind her.

"You're welcome, but . . . I didn't really do anything." He smirked at her. "It was all you."

"I don't know about that, but . . . " Ladybug walked up to him and got close. She handed him the rose and smiled. "I won't forget about you." She looked up at him. "The real you . . . is trapped somewhere. And once I face my problems, I'll save him."

"Did these memories change anything?" Chat Noir asked as the scenery changed back to the street corner in Paris.

"I think they did." She nodded. "I know what to do now."

Chat Noir smiled, giving a two fingered salute before disappearing.

Ladybug turned away with teary eyes and a smile. She gripped her yo-yo on her waist before sling-shotting herself over the city.

"I have to fix this." She told herself. "I've done too much but not enough." Ladybug felt relived but anxious at the same time.

She swung from building to building, following the path of subtle destruction until she found the cause. Looking down, she knew what to expect, but in all honesty, she didn't want to face it. It wasn't Hope, or Hawkmoth, but Chat Noir and her feelings. Chat Noir didn't know what was going on at the moment, but she worried for when he'd find out. He'll probably hate her or even worse, turn his back on her. Even though the other Chat Noir insisted he wouldn't, he's still not the real thing. But right now, no matter how much her anxiety will keep pushing her back, she'll do it. She'll tell him the truth and no matter his reaction, there won't be any secrets. No more hiding. No more mysteries. And whether he despises her or not, she'll fight with him.

Ladybug hopped along the last few rooftops until she was above the end of Hope's path, passing multiple groups of dumbly, possessed citizens. Hope was facing the other way as she flew above the streets. Ladybug noticed Chat Noir already on the scene, pushing back possessed people. They crowded around him, shoving back and forth. Chat Noir, surrounded by even more now, struggled against their force.

Ladybug shut her eyes and gripped her yo-yo as she mustered up a shred of confidence. Just enough to face the dilemma. Ladybug took her yo-yo and threw it at a lamppost, swinging herself down to the street below. She landed against the pavement, with her leg out in a pose as she collected herself in a swoop.

"Ladybug!" Chat Noir called, popping his head out of the crowd.

Ladybug couldn't look. She was facing her problems and Char Noir had helped her, but she couldn't face him. More like she couldn't look at his eyes. They started into her soul and displayed overwhelming emotion. Even though she must save him, she'll have to do it without looking in them.

"Stop!" Hope commanded her militia of citizens. They simultaneously stood straight with their hands at their sides and eyes unfocused, awaiting orders.

Chat Noir fell back at the sudden halt to the fight. He propped himself up and watched the two in front of him. Hope floated down till she was just hovering over the ground. She grinned as Ladybug and moved closer.

"So you finally came. I was afraid that you'd given up." Hope smirked and her feet touched to the ground. "So . . . have you given up? Are you here to meet my demands or . . . will you let all these poor people to continue to suffer?"

"I'm here to fight!" Ladybug announced.

"Well if that's the case . . . we don't want anyone else intervening" She looked over at the possessed humans that had halted. "Keep him quiet!" Hope ordered. "Sit tight for a bit kitty-cat."

The group stood Chat Noir up and held on to his arms and legs. One stood behind him, covering his mouth. He struggled against their hold, but failed.

"If we're gonna do this, it'll be between just the two of us." Hope informed before sighing as she turned back to Ladybug. "So . . . you're actually gonna fight?"

"Yes. I'm here to fix my mess." Ladybug answered. "I won't let you hurt this city because of me."

"You think you can beat me? With what power?" Hope snarled, walking towards her. "You are weak. You don't even have the confidence of a hero." She circled Ladybug like prey, making her feel smaller. "I'm surprised you even showed up. You're late, but still cowardly. Still afraid."

"I let this happen. I created your hate and I let you do this." Ladybug stated, looking down. "How could I fear my own creation? I can't run away from that."

"Your own creation?" Hope stopped in her place. "I hate to break it to you, but I've always lived to help people. These powers are Hawkmoth's and my will is my own. You don't have anything to do with this."

Ladybug chuckled. "You know . . . your powers work both ways." Ladybug looked up to meet her shocked, but confused expression. "Back when you showed me some future created from my memories, I also saw your memories." Ladybug moved towards her with a kind smile. "You may have forgotten what it was like before because of how long you've been akumatized, but I saw . . . I saw who you were-"

"Forgotten?!" Hope interrupted. "I have not forgotten. I've done all of this because I remember." She insisted with a growl. "I was poor. I . . . I wanted to help everyone. I . . . I-ugh!" Hope closed one eye as she hit a hand against her head. "I can help people now with my powers and I can achieve my goals. I am no longer helpless." She stated robotically.

"You sound like you've practiced that. Almost like you wanted to believe that, drilling it into your brain." Ladybug put a hand on her shoulder. "But I saw differently." Hope's nostrils flared with anger. "I saw a little girl who looked up to Paris's heroes from a very young age and aspired to be like them. And even though she didn't have much, she offered some of her own to others, such as food or kindness. That little girl was a hero in herself and that girl . . . is still you."

"No." Hope denied, brushing the hand off her shoulder. "I couldn't be a hero the way I was before. I was alone, defeated and most importantly . . . powerless!" She spat.

Hope glared at Ladybug and Ladybug stared back. Two different looks in their eyes that fought and back and forth, almost creating a comical spark of lightning. But neither side faltered, for each one had a solid argument and confidence behind them.

"You were anything but powerless." Ladybug consoled, reaching out to put her other hand on her other shoulder. "You're twelve and I'm sixteen, but you are more observant and intelligent than me. You may be taller and older looking now in your akumatized state, but that's just an illusion so that people take you seriously. You're still young. You're still that girl. And I've been Ladybug for three years now and I still don't understand the environment or people like you do. It's amazing how you see everything." Ladybug praised. "From a young age, you watched and you studied people. You understood the ways of the world and took every perspective. Even I couldn't do that-"

"No! No no no no no no no!" Hope screamed, covering her ears. "Whether all of that nonsense is true or not, I won't quit. I won't give up! I'm not gonna lose!" She insisted, roughly shaking her head back and forth. "My life is better now. I look older and am taken more seriously. I have a good job and a boss. I'm happier and I can help everyone. I'm no longer helpless. I'm better now!"

"But-"

"I'm a hero!" She shouted, pressing her palms harder against her head.

Ladybug gasped, taken back from her reaction.

"I'm more of a hero than you are." Hope muttered. She released her hands from her scalp and glared at the spotted heroine. The sound of her umbrella snapping shut echoed through the air and she rested it back on her shoulder. "How can you even call yourself one? I mean . . . " She crossed her arms. "I may seem like a villain now, but who started it all? Who let a "villain" run free for her own selfish reasons?" Hope circled Ladybug like a predator. "Who hid from her own partner and ruined the lives of those around her?"

"I did." Ladybug admitted strongly. "I caused all of this and I hurt my friends and allies around me. I know what I've done. That's why I'm here."

"But why?" Hope smiled, swinging her umbrella up before resting its tip on the ground beside her, loosely gripping the handle. "You aren't confident. You aren't bold. You cower in fear at your own secrets. And even as you stand here now, you still wear a mask. Both sides do, either hiding your identity or true emotions. You will always have something to hide or fear."

Ladybug's head sank. "I'll accept that. You're right in those aspects."

"Hmph." Hope chuckled. "What's even worse is that you thought you'd have a chance with Adrien. With what little confidence you have, he wouldn't have even turned his head. And now after what you've done, I doubt he'd even give you the time of day. But . . . you wouldn't deserve him anyway."

Ladybug remember Adrien as an image of him popped into her head. She remembered who and what he used to be before she ruined it all. She regretted it and felt sorry, but there was no use in apologizing. That was not nearly enough to make up for her crime. Ladybug could be imprisoned after this fight if Paris finds out about her betrayal. After all, she did endanger the whole city for selfish reasons and she was prepared for the hate and unforgiveness.

"He never wanted me anyway." Ladybug said, biting her lip. "Adrien never paid attention to me before and definitely won't now. It was just a sad crush that I had." She gave herself a halfhearted laugh. "Ladybug is the only attractive part of me and you're right about my self consciousness. I didn't have much confidence before, but at least I accept it now."

"You accepting it won't fix anything." Hope told her, raising her eyebrows.

"No." Ladybug admitted. "But it'll change who I am as a person."

"But what about Chat Noir?" Hope asked, giving a questioning glance. "He definitely paid attention to you and he professed his love to you all the time. He even tried to kiss you whenever he got the chance, but was tragically rejected. How could you be self conscious when a superhero is chasing after you? It's not like he wasn't an option. With all of those chances, why not turn to him?"

"I hid and . . . I ran away . . . afraid." Ladybug stated. "And I know that sounds really stupid and harsh, but I'll admit it now. I'll be honest."

"Honest?" Hope squinted her eyes in speculation. "Is there something you're still hiding from us?"

"Not anymore." Ladybug had a small smile. "No more secrets. Only truths. Now sit down and listen up because it's story time." Ladybug said, sitting down in the middle of the road. "And I only just thought this through on the run over here, so try to keep the judgy comments at a minimum."

"Wait. You expect me to just sit down . . . in the middle of the street . . . in the middle of a battle . . . between us?" Hope questioned, giving Ladybug a dumb look. "You know your lover's right over there. Like right there." She pointed over at the restricted feline who looked completely lost at the scene before him. "I may have a few people holding him down and covering his mouth so he doesn't scream, but you're taking quite a long time to rescue him. And he's just watching us. Who knows what he can hear, but you wanna sit down, right now, for a little chit chat?"

Ladybug sat on her legs and put her hands on her knees. "Yep." She smiled.


	11. Chapter 11: What a True Hero is Part 2

"Yep." Ladybug sat on her legs and put her hands on her knees. "He'll be fine anyway and besides, you're the one filled with questions. If you're going to insult me, I'd prefer for you to know my motives."

Hope rolled her eyes as she slowly sat down, opening her umbrella but keeping it on her shoulder for shade.

"So . . . " Ladybug pursed her lips. "Where to begin . . . "

"Chat Noir." Hope offered, looking slightly irritated. "Why'd you reject him? Did you not like him?"

"Well." Ladybug scratched the back of her head. "Half of it was because of Adrien and the rest was because of Marinette." Hope looked just as lost as Chat Noir. "I did truly like Adrien and I actually did like Chat Noir, but I guess I never wanted to give up on Adrien, or more like my civilian self." Hope raised an eyebrow at her. Ladybug continued. "Everyone loves Ladybug. Nobody knows Marinette like they do Ladybug and I'm the only ones who knows what it's like. I've kept my identity a secret so there's none of my friends other than my kwami who I can talk to too. And it's almost as if I didn't want to give up on Marinette. He didn't fall for the other me. If I accepted Chat Noir's feelings and reciprocated, my civilian self would be nothing."

"What do you mean nothing?" Hope asked. "You have friends. Even in both worlds. You're not entirely unknown."

"That's different." She continued. "They don't know I'm Ladybug. I'm just a normal girl. But Chat Noir . . . he fell in love with Ladybug. He doesn't know anything about me and I feel like he'd be disappointed in the real me. And if I give in it's like all I am to everyone is just a superhero. I don't want to forget my past or who I was before. If I accept him, who will I be then? Will Marinette be forgotten?"

"So what now?" Hope watched the girl. Everytime she mentioned Chat Noir, she seemed to have a gleam in her eyes and her voice seemed to slightly squeak.

"No more secrets." She shook her head. "After I've defeated you-"

"If you defeat me." Hope interrupted.

"When." Ladybug corrected.

"Oh, now you're confident." Hope laughed.

"I'll tell him." Ladybug finished. "I will tell him the truth and pray that he accepts me and doesn't hate me forever for causing this."

"Knowing him, he'll forgive you." Hope looked down at the umbrella handle, lightly twirling it out of boredom. "His love for you is almost nausiating." She said solemnly.

"Well then." Ladybug started as she stood up and brushed herself off. She had a smile on her face that appeared happy. "How about we get this fight done and over with?"

"About time!" Hope bounced off the ground a little too excited.

Ladybug turned around to Chat Noir who no longer struggled against the tiny army and looked a bit annoyed by now. "Hey, Chat Noir!" She called, making his ears perk up. "Just sit tight for a while." She gave a big smile. "This is my fight." She turned and he watched her walk away.

Ladybug spun around and walked back to Hope. She stuck her hand out in front of them, causing Hope to raise a confused eyebrow at her.

"Wha-what is . . . what is that? What is this?" Hope scrunched her shoulders while eyeing Ladybug's outreached hand.

"We're fighting fair, on equal terms." Ladybug began. "We both have amazing power that can be used either way, we're both people of Paris with big ideas and dreams, and we've heard each other's story. We know what we're fighting for." Ladybug stared into her eyes. "We'll have a better understanding of each other after. This battle could go either way. But on equal terms, we can fight fair and reasonably."

Hope looked down at her hand as she bit the inside of her cheek, debating. She rolled her eyes before reaching her hand out to meet Ladybug's. "Fine." She said, shaking hands in agreement. "We'll fight as equals. Let's settle this."

Ladybug exhaled with a smile. At least she was getting somewhere with this and so far her face wasn't on the concrete, so she took that as a good sign. Her smile was shaken off as she was jerked forward with their hands still interlocked.

Hope whispered in her ear with a maniacal tone as she squeezed her hand tightly. "Try not to make this so easy." Ladybug's eyes had widened a bit from the sudden jerk. "I want to have a little fun, so you better use all you've got. No holding back now."

Ladybug felt a shiver up her spine, but as Hope moved her head away, she changed to a confident smirk.

"Hm. The same goes for you." Ladybug chuckled, removing her hand from her grasp. She rubbed the back of her neck as she talked. "Better not trip in those heels. That'd be a sad way to go."

"Hmph." Hope laughed, turning around. "You sure are acting confident now." She started walking away.

Ladybug peeked at Chat Noir, an unknown burning in her chest. She started walking in the opposite direction as Hope, trying not to make eye contact.

They both stopped in the center of the street. Ladybug spun around to face her opponent. They stood a good distance from each other but still tried to read the other's face. Ladybug gripped her yo-yo that sat on her hip. Hope smiled and put her umbrella on her back in some sort of holster. Because of this, Ladybug let go of her yo-yo.

Thoughts of Chat Noir rolled though her mind, making Ladybug remember why she's here, what she's fighting for, and what's on the line. In the end, there won't be anymore secrets to keep. And she'll finally speak honestly to Chat Noir. 'No going back now.' She thought to herself. 'I won't lose myself anymore and most importantly . . . I won't lose . . . you.' Ladybug said the last words aloud to herself. "I can't." She whispered. Ladybug reached up to her face and touched the edges of her mask with her fingers on the top and her thumb on the bottom. She rubbed the edges as she thought. After all, this mask is magic. It's impossible to remove. The previous incident with Lady Wifi two and half years ago proved that. The only way to remove it is by releasing the transformation.

"You know Hope . . . " She gripped the edges. "You know my story and I know yours . . . " Hope raised an eyebrow at the faraway hero. As Ladybug pressed her fingers harder against the mask, it ever so slightly loosened. "And since we've agreed to fight on equal terms." She continued, hesitantly prying the side from her skin. "I think it'd only be fair . . . " Ladybug pulled the mask off, still holding it between her fingers. "For us to fight face to face."

Hope furrowed her brow in confusion. Ladybug threw the mask off to the side, not caring where it landed. She wiped under her eyes where the mask used to be and smiled happily.

"What's with that look?" Hope questioned in disgust. "You removing your mask won't increase your chances of winning."

"Doesn't matter." Ladybug stated. "We won't know till we start."

Hope gave a small chuckle and shook her head. Ladybug watched her look down and surprising stay quiet. 'What's she doing?' Ladybug asked herself.

Hope closed her eyes for a moment with her face expressionless as if she were thinking. Then they shot open. Hope ragefully yelled into the air as she ran forward. With a loud yell as well, Ladybug ran ahead towards her. The two clashed with Hope throwing the first punch. Ladybug caught her fist.

"Well aren't you eager." She laughed, throwing one back at her.

Hope caught Ladybug's punch in her hand the same way. "I think you're just as eager as I am." She grinned.

"Not a chance." Ladybug swept one of her feet under Hope's legs, but Hope jumped in time.

With Ladybug now off balance, Hope pushed her back to the ground and pinned her down.

"Was that all that you've got." She sneered, looking down at Ladybug.

Ladybug twisted and kicked her way out of Hope's tight grip. Hope stopped herself in a roll and grinned at the hero. Ladybug who had just regained her footing, was immediately attacked again. Hope threw punch after punch with Ladybug defending with her arms in front of her face.

"You were just talk before, weren't you?!" Hope yelled before stopping to take a breather with her arm cranked back. "It shows." She powered her first forward.

Ladybug, while looking down at the ground, caught it in a her hand, unmoved by the force. "I . . . I won't let you . . . talk down to me." She panted.

"Really? You won't run?" Hope taunted. "Aren't you still a quitter?" She threw another punch.

Ladybug now gripped both of Hope's fists in her palms. She squeezed them as she lifted her head. Hope looked uneasy at the sudden success from her opponent. Ladybug looked into her eyes.

Ladybug screamed, her voice raising as she screamed. "No matter what I'll never let you beat me!" At that, she pushed Hope across the pavement, causing her to smash into a building side.

Pieces of debris fell as Hope picked herself up. She rubbed the dirt off her right arm as she smiled at Ladybug.

Ladybug darted forward in a flash. Hope kicked her leg up and leaned her back against the wall. Ladybug blocked the kick to her head with her left arm.

"You're quicker." Hope commented.

"Or maybe you're just slower." Ladybug replied, throwing a punch. Hope dodged it by tilting her head.

Hope grabbed the wrist of the nearby hand and pressed her thumb into the skin. Ladybug seared in pain, taking a step back. Hope's leg swung back down to her side.

"Ow. Ow!" Ladybug pried her fingers off her wrist.

Ladybug attempted another punch with her other hand. Hope turned her head again and her fingers crawled up Ladybug's arm. She stopped at her elbow and pressed there. Ladybug jolted back again, but Hope was still latched on.

Hope walked a few steps forward with Ladybug stepping back. She kept her sharp grip on Ladybug's elbow. "Pressure points." Hope said blankly. Ladybug gritted her teeth. Hope snarled. "You can't wi-"

Ladybug interrupted Hope with a punch to the face. The villain fell back into the wall and then to the ground, panting. Ladybug stood tall with her fist still balled up. Hope stood up, swiping the dirt from her bottom lip.

"Huh." Hope stumbled for balance with a devilish grin. "I'll admit . . . you're not as weak as you seem."

Ladybug smiled to herself at achieving a little bit. Hope looked at her before scanning the streets and sidewalk. On her way here, she saw Hope had blocked off some of the streets in different places to keep traffic down, but now small crowds of people were accumulating near them.

"So tell me Ladybug." Hope looked back at Ladybug. "Are you nervous?"

"Nervous?" She raised a brow.

"Yeah, nervous." Hope confirmed. "I mean . . . with all of these people around to witness the true Ladybug's face, it must make you anxious." She taunted. "They'll know. You're showing them all right now."

"I'm not afraid." Ladybug said, standing tall. "I won't be again."

"Huh." Hope swung her umbrella off her back and aimed it forward. Ladybug ducked to the ground as she started firing. Hope blasted all the new citizens, "freeing them", and rested the parasol back on her shoulder. "That's surprising."

Ladybug stood up and gave a small, frustrated growl, gripping her yo-yo that sat on her hip. Hope was quick to notice.

"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Hope asked. "Already reaching for your weapon. So . . . are we gonna get down to the good part of the fight?"

'She's such a maniac.' Ladybug thought to herself. 'Better keep my distance. I don't know what other tricks she's waiting to put out.'

Ladybug started backing up, resulting in a positive reaction from Hope.

"Hmmm . . . " Hope put her fingers against her chin, her eyes squinted in thought. "Maybe if I just change you like the others, I could take your miraculous then . . . You wouldn't wanna fight me then, so a simple, direct hit should do the job." Immediately she aimed the crystalized tip of her umbrella. The setting sun reflected off one red jewel at the tip, making it sparkle maroon. The sun hit her hair as she took a step forward. She seemed to evilly glow. "Guess this is the end." Hope shrugged, faking sympathy.

She started to fire several blasts with Ladybug acting fast, propelling herself through the air. Ladybug performed multiple backflips to avoid getting hit. She knew what was at risk and how powerful her opponent was. Luckily, she had great flexibility and strength when transformed. Hope, getting frustrated, started firing aimlessly around, failing to strike the acrobatic hero. She stopped, her umbrella swinging towards the ground as she panted heavily.

Ladybug regained her balance from the flips, feeling exhausted, but there was no time for that. "Lucky Charm!" She called. A pack of large, spotted crochet needles fell into her hands. "What am I gonna-huh" Ladybug looked up at the wicked villain who was starting to catch her breath. She saw it. "I don't have time to waste!" Ladybug declared, ripping open the package.

Narrowing her eyes, Ladybug watched the girl's moves. No time, but no do overs either. She had to get it right now, on her first try. Hesitation wasn't acceptable, so she mustered up the strength and hopefully some accuracy. Ladybug threw the crochet needles towards the villain, sticking one in each of her braids. Hope jolted back from the force, getting pressed to the wall. The crochet needles wedged themselves in the wall from the power and lodged themselves into Hope's hair, keeping her still.

She struggled against them, but winced at the pulling of her hair. Hope wrapped a hand around each needle, attempting to pull them from the wall, but failed. "Ugh!" She raged as Ladybug started to walk forward. "When did you get this strong?!"

"I guess you're not the only one with tricks up her sleeve." Ladybug continued to move closer. "This might be your end instead of mine." Hope lowered her head a little and a maniacal giggle could be heard.

"Now, you're a little too confident." Hope raised her arms slowly, making her hands into what looked like finger guns. Ladybug halted, expecting her to fire once again. Instead, Hope, raised them to her head. The two fingers began to emit a small blue laser at each braid. Her pace quickened. Hope fried her braids off and jumped at Ladybug, tackling her. "I thought your Ladybug powers let you see through problems." She pinned the hero and smirked down at her. Hope's hair was now a short and wavy rainbow, perfectly resembling her new crazy.

Ladybug gripped her yo-yo in her hand as she struggled against her grip. She stopped for a moment and fumbled her thumb around the yo-yo. She pushed one spot in and a needle shot out and pricked Hope's skin, making her release her hold on Ladybug's wrist.

"Ow!" Hope rubbed her arm that now had a small drop of blood on it. Ladybug crawled out from under her and stood tall. The needle zipped back inside the yo-yo and the yo-yo began to blink red a few times as if it was loading. "What was that?!" Hope stood up, demanding an answer.

"Not sure." Ladybug looked back to her yo-yo. "I don't know much about it. My yo-yo holds many mysteries. I just recently discovered that pressing some of the spots do different things. Kind of hoping for a taser, but . . . " She opened the yo-yo. "It might've taken a blood sample."

"That doesn't even make sense." Hope's nostrils flared.

"Yeah. I know." Ladybug closed her yo-yo and looked up.

"Well if you're gonna pull out weird blood stealing yo-yos, then I need to keep things interesting on my end." Hope crossed her arms. "Let's make this a little challenging." She turned around and walked away, grabbing her umbrella on the way and putting it back in it's holder.

"What do you mean by that?"

Hope grinned at Ladybug, worrying the hero. She continued to back up, leading Ladybug towards the Seine. Soon she was at the edge and stopped for a moment. Ladybug stopped as well and awaited an attack, but Hope stood still. A second later, Hope took another step back, her foot touching the water. Ladybug expected her to fall or jump into the water, but instead, the villain walked. With a few more movements, she was fulling standing on the water, not sinking. Her feet had a slight glow to them as she continued to back up.

Ladybug gaped. "You're walking-"

"On water? Yes." Hope finished for her. She slid a hand through her new short her and watched the hero's reaction. The new hair Hope sported made her look older than the sixteen year old she was portraying and she definitely felt superior to her enemy. "Whether you're up to it or not, we're going to a new terrain. It'd be boring in the same street for the whole battle. After all, a street is a little area for what's at stake."

"On the water?" Ladybug pointed at the Seine, confused. "You wanna fight out there? I can't even walk on water."

Hope laughed. "I really don't have anything to lose. You're the one who has a job to finish. Even if I work for Hawkmoth, with my power, he might be inferior by now. I could rule this city and all of its inhabitants."

'Is she taunting me.' Ladybug thought. 'What's she getting at?'

"You on the other hand . . . can't lose." Hope continued. "If you don't beat me, it's all over for you and your friends. Since I don't have to win or lose, I could just run. I could run away or change the battle field as much as I want because it doesn't affect me."

Ladybug knew she was right but didn't speak up. She didn't want to sound so small and weak. She stared at the water in front of her, pondering a way to actually fight her.

"Oh." Hope gave a teethy grin and a laugh. "I never said we'd be fighting on the water." With that Hope waved before dropping in the water, sinking out of sight.

She never floated up. Ladybug rocked back and forth, wondering if she should just jump right in. Who knew what the villain was planning on the other side? She had to go in eventually, but when? She couldn't breathe underwater and she definitely couldn't see very well in the misty river, especially with the sun starting to set.

Ladybug closed her eyes with a small chuckle. "But I know someone who can." Sometimes she hated her late thinking, but it came in handy at times. If she had remembered sooner, she might've revealed her advantage to Hope. "Tikki, spots off." She smiled. Tikki zoomed out and opened her mouth to say something, but was hushed by Marinette's finger. "Questions and lectures later." Marinette said, tossing her a macaroon. "We'll talk later, I promise. After this mess is fixed." She opened her eyes and saw her kwami swallow the last bites. "Aqua Tikki, spots on!" Marinette shouted, transforming into her updated form, specifically built for the water.

With that, Ladybug stepped to the edge. "I can to this." She muttered. Ladybug smiled confidently to herself before diving into the Seine.

* * *

Hope peddled her arms and legs back and forth underwater. Her heels had been discarded on the way down. They would've make it harder to swim with the extra weight.

She continued to go deeper in the darkening waters. Hope stopped once she was eighteen feet down and looked up to the rippled surface.

"I better stay here. It'll be dark soon and I can only use so many powers at a time. I can hardly see as it is. Don't wanna make the fight too difficult." She looked up at the rippled surface with a chuckle. "If that bug even has the courage to jump in."

Hope's hair flowed back and forth in the water. The rainbow locks curled out, but kept her face framed. Hope held up her right gloved hand in front of her face. The edges swished in the water as she focused on them. Hope groaned and pressed her other hand to her aching chest. A pang of slight guilt could be felt in her chest, but she didn't know where it was from. She could feel a change, but the war inside her head and the constant denial just made her bipolar. She pushed these thoughts down, but remember something as she stared at the glove.

"Why Lady Hope, would you care for some tea?" A woman said, holding her pinkie out while holding a tiny cup. The woman sat in a small chair and wore a pink boa and thin white gloves that stopped at her wrists.

"No." The young Hope whined, crossing her arms. "I told you, mom, my gloves are too dirty. They're old and have some rips in them. I can't wear those. I need new ones." She pouted.

"I told you, dear, we can't afford to buy you new, fancy gloves." Her mother set her little cup down and folded her hands. "You're not exactly the cleanest and most careful with them either." Her daughter didn't budge. "You'll just have to wait till Christmas."

"But I don't wanna wait till Christmas!" She blurted out, straightening up in her chair. "I want new gloves now!"

The mother simply smiled at her daughter before removing her own clean, untattered gloves. "How about you take mine?" She held them out in her hand.

"Wha?" Hope perked up and examined them, slowly reaching her hand out. "I can have your gloves?" She was hesitant.

"Of course." With that, Hope grabbed them. "They'll be big, but you'll grow into them eventually."

Hope slipped on the oversized mits and laughed.

The present Hope thought back to her younger self. She blinked her eyes out of those memories, staring at the gloves.

"Why am I seeing these things?" Hope shook her head. More guilt. "This is not the time to get sidetracked."

Hope's attention turned to her shining dandelion ring. It sparkled in the rays of light that penetrated the water's surface. She had a brief flash of the moment she tied the wildflower on her finger. The flower turned ring was no longer plant in this form.

Hope moved her hand from in front of her face, getting frustrated. Suddenly, Ladybug appeared before her. The bug attempted to grab her wrist, but Hope quickly swatted her away. Ladybug put on a thinking face and swam back, falling out of sight. Hope just squinted her eyes in the direction she had left in. The encounter was brief and confusing. Hope was still partly thinking about her previous thought and was surprised by Ladybug's sudden appearance.

* * *

Ladybug was away from Hope, the sun still trying to set above them. It was now slightly harder to see through the misty water even with her powers.

'She was starring at her gloves.' Ladybug analyzed in her head. 'I already know the akuma's in her ring, but why was she focusing on them? Was she planning or remembering? Or was she just lost in thought?' Ladybug scrunched her eyebrows in thought.

"Lucky Charm!" She shouted and a spotted flashlight fell into her hands. "What am I gonna do with this?" Ladybug looked around. "I don't think it'll help the water look clearer and lighter, but it's still bright-oh." Ladybug smiled before swimming forward.

She slowly creeped closer to Hope, keeping the flashlight off. Hope then spotted the hero. She looked confused, but also different from before. But now was not the time for Ladybug to get distracted. She pointed the flashlight at the villain and flipped the switch, blinding the girl. Hope instinctively put her hands over her eyes to shield herself from the blinding light.

Ladybug took her chance. With the villains eyes tightly closed and the key to end this right in front of her, she darted forward, snatching the ring. Ladybug immediately swam to the surface without looking back at Hope.

She popped her head out of the water and paddled towards the edge. While lifting herself up and climbing out, Hope floated to the top. She hooked her foot on the water and started to get on top again. Ladybug turned around and watched her. Hope, with both feet now on top of the water, stood up. Water dripped from her clothes and short hair. She had a pained look on her face. Ladybug studied her, but she has priorities at the moment.

She was about to turn away when Hope called to her. "Ladybug, don't!" Hope pleaded, stepping forward. She stopped four feet from the sidewalk. "I can't go back now. I'm a criminal now. I abandoned my life and my friends. And more importantly . . . I left my mom. I left her alone and I can't fix it."

"Of course you can fix it. You're mom will forgive you if she remembers this." Ladybug smiled. "But it's my responsibility to fix my own problems as well." She set the small ring on the ground and smashed it with her foot, setting the purple butterfly free. "Time to de-evillize!" Ladybug swung her yo-yo, purifying the akuma. "Bye, bye little butterfly." She waved to the insect but hesitated for a moment, about to throw her flashlight in the air. She turned to Hope and walked over to her. Ladybug held out a hand. Hope just looked at it. "I may have won, but I'm not gonna let you drown when I change everything back." Ladybug said, looking at the girl. Ladybug reached forward, but Hope didn't move. She stretched forward but couldn't reach.

"You've defeated me." Hope lifted her head. "Just worry about yourself. Go back to that cat and fix your life."

"Aw come on, Hope." Ladybug smiled, keeping her balance as she stretched a few inches further. "We both know we could never stop helping people."

Ladybug managed to reach Hope and pull her forward to the sidewalk. Hope stumbled but looked up at Ladybug confused. Ladybug backed away, gripping her flashlight.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" She threw the flashlight in the air and watched the ladybugs fly out of it to heal the city.

Ladybug turned to see the people let go of their hold on Chat Noir as they returned back to normal, their pupils shrinking back to their original size. She looked back at Hope and saw the swarm of ladybugs circle her. They left quickly, leaving Hope back in her original look. She shrunk 3-4 inches but was still tall for her age. Her hair grew out to the long, straight, light brownish blonde that it was before. Hope wore a sleeveless, midthigh length, yellow dress and silver sandals. She was back to her twelve year old self.

Ladybug smiled. "Welcome back-"

Hope rushed forward, hugging Ladybug. "Thank you." She said, squeezing the hero. Hope pulled back and eyed the Chat from afar. "I think it's about time you go talk to him."

Ladybug chuckled, stepping back as she babbled words. "Ah, still wise for a twelve year old, huh? But you see . . . you were just akumatized. I'm nervous and might puke. We could talk and I should really be helping you get home." Hope rolled her eyes. "You know, just to be safe, I will walk you home." Ladybug rambled, jumping forward and linking her arm in Hope's. She swung around before Hope stopped her, pulling away.

"No no no." Hope laughed, holding up a finger. "You gotta go talk to him. You've put it off long enough. We can talk some other time. I know where you live. Now go." Hope insisted, pointing towards Chat Noir.

She was very commanding and smart for a twelve year old. She could probably pass for a shorter sixteen year old if she wanted. Ladybug sighed and lowered her head for a moment.

"Fine." She agreed. Hope smiled at that and held out a fist. Ladybug bumped it before walking past her.

As she walked towards Chat Noir, Ladybug felt her nerves spiking. She didn't know how he'd react and that scared her. After walking for a while, she could sense him in front of her. Ladybug slowly lifted her head and stopped when she saw his hands. They held her mask tightly in them. She continued to raise her head and met his eyes. They stared into her soul, searching.

"Chat Noir, I-" Ladybug was interrupted with a hug. Chat Noir wrapped his arms around her, holding onto her tightly.

"I'm sorry." Chat said, burying his face in her shoulder. Ladybug's mouth hung open as her eyes began to well up with tears.

"C-Chat N-Noir?" Ladybug stuttered. She gulped. "What are _you_ apologizing for?"

Chat pulled back to look at Ladybug, both his hands remained on her shoulders. "I said so many awful things to you earlier." She raised an eyebrow. "At the dance. I was so rude to you and I would never say those things. Please forgive me, M'Lady." Chat pleaded.

"What are you talking about?" Ladybug had no clue what he was referencing. She heard him mumble another apology and rolled her eyes. Ladybug sighed, internally screaming at herself. She put both of her hands on his shoulders and looked seriously into his eyes. "Okay, listen. You have nothing to be sorry for. I'm the one who started this." Ladybug shook her head. "I put a spell on you, I changed your life, and most importantly . . . I hurt you!" Her eyes watered. "I just hope you forgive me. It's a long story that I'll tell you later, but if I were you, I'd hate me."

"Ladybug I could-" Chat stopped himself, looking past her. "Oh no, the reporters. They're coming over here." He informed.

"No, they can't see my face." Ladybug panicked, covering her face with her hands.

"Don't worry, I got this." Chat said, scooping her up in his arms.

He jumped up to the buildings and ran along the rooftops, gripping her in his arms. Chat looked down at her, she still had her hands covering her face. He smiled. She looked beautiful. Chat found a secluded rooftop and set her down. He sat in front of her with his legs crossed. Ladybug peeked through two of her fingers before slowly removing them from her face. They stared at each other with Ladybug looking awkward and nervous while Chat Noir looked like he was staring into her soul.

"So . . . " Ladybug said anxiously, breaking her eye contact.

"You have a story to tell." Chat Noir reminded her, awaiting her reaction.

"Oh yeah . . . that." Ladybug laughed, scratching the back of her head. "That's a long story."

* * *

 **A/N**

 **So sorry for the lateness of these two parts. I did add a lot more than I originally wanted. Doctor Who gave me the feels to add more scenes. I still love feedback, so if you have any, I'd love to hear from you. Thanks for reading this far.**

 **-Alice Pink**


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